Inevitable
by nicki6796
Summary: This wasn't supposed to happen. It had been 7 years. Rachel and Finn broke up at graduation. She moved to New York and Finn stayed in Lima. But one night 7 years later changed everything. How would she tell Finn? How would she tell her boyfriend?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is my first fanfiction and I'm a little bit nervous so please review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated :) A big thank you to **IMakeDaisyChains **for being my beta and helping me write this!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Glee

She stared blankly down at the stick in front of her, the pink plus sign mocking her every move.

This wasn't supposed to happen; she was Rachel Berry, Off-Broadway star. She wasn't supposed to get pregnant aged 24, and it was definitely not supposed to be her ex-boyfriend's baby!

How was she going to tell him? Aside from that night she hadn't seen him in 7 years! She couldn't exactly ring him up and say 'Hey it's Rachel, I'm having your baby!'

Worse still, how was she going to tell James? James had been one of her closest friends throughout college and they'd been dating for 4 months. They hadn't got that far though so there was no way the baby could be his, and now she was going to break his heart.

This was karma. It had to be. First she ran off to New York after graduation leaving the only guy she'd ever loved behind with nothing more than a 'we'll keep in touch'. Then she'd rejected James' attempts to be with her over and over again, and when she finally accepts, she cheats on him 2 months into the relationship.

Rachel Berry was a bad person, and now she was being punished. However, he was partly to blame, he'd slept with her knowing fully well she was in a committed relationship. Knowing fully well that she hadn't stopped thinking about him since the day she left him.

Well she'd always wanted to have his children, and Rachel Berry always gets what she wants! Her life was a mess and it was all down to him.

Finn Hudson.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I would just like to say that I'm very sorry for all the confusion over this story! I originally couldn't get into this account and so I created a new account and was planning on publishing this story in that account but it turns out I was being extremely stupid and using the wrong password so I will continue to use this account not my other one! Anyone who has received a PM from my beta explaining the situation, I'm very sorry and you can ignore it! I will try to get chapter 3 up very soon to make up for my stupidity! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I am extremely grateful and I would really appreciate it if you would review this chapter as well :) anyway that's all I have to say and I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish I did, I don't own glee!

Kurt Hummel was in the middle of his morning skin care routine when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find Rachel Berry looking like she had just seen a ghost!

"Do you not understand how hard it is to look this great all the time? It requires a lot of time and effort and I do not appreciate being interrupted! I'm sure we've had this conversation before Rachel!"

Just like that she broke down. Kurt, confused and nervous, led her inside the house.

"Hey, hey, I was only joking, please don't cry!"

"No it's not that…I've done something terrible Kurt."

All Kurt could do was lead Rachel to the sofa and rub her back comfortingly as she broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Fifteen minutes later Rachel had finally calmed down and she smiled thankfully as Kurt handed her a glass of water.

"So…you ready to tell me what's up?"

Rachel nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant Kurt."

Kurt practically spat out his coffee as he stared at Rachel in shock. This just wasn't like Rachel. He knew she'd never really gotten over Finn and she'd only dated a few guys since and none of them had lasted long. She had been seeing James for four months but that was still too soon for the Rachel he knew.

"Are you serious? Like pregnant with a baby?"

"How many things can I be pregnant with? Yes, with a baby!"

"How?" 

"Seriously Kurt? Do we really need to get into that? I assumed you'd know how it works by now!"

"You know what I mean Rach."

"Yeah I know…but the truth is I don't have an answer to that question. I messed up and now my life is over!"

"Now calm down Miss Berry, you always have been one for drama!"

Rachel laughed feebly, but it wasn't the normal Rachel Berry laugh, the one that would brighten up a room.

"Have you told James yet?"

Suddenly Rachel paled dramatically and she could no longer make eye contact with Kurt.

"Come on Rach, it won't be that bad, I'll come with you if you like?"

"No…it's…it's not James' baby."

"WHAT?"

"Please don't freak out."

"How can I not freak out Rachel? You're in a relationship with one of your closest friends and you're telling me you're having someone else's baby?"

"I know it's terrible."

"How long has this been going on Rachel?"

"What?"

"The affair. How long?"

"No there is no affair, it was just a one time thing!"

"Oh, well that makes it so much better!"

"Look, I know what I did was terrible Kurt, and I'll probably never forgive myself, but I thought you of all people wouldn't judge me!"

"You're right. What you need now is my support…so, the father, do you know who he is?"

Rachel nodded slowly and tears formed in her eyes.

"Do I know him?" 

"Better than you'd think."

"Does he live in New York?"

Rachel shook her head and began to stare out the window as she realised it wouldn't be long until Kurt figured it out.

"Rachel, how far along are you?"

"About two months."

Two months. Who had been in town two months ago that Kurt and Rachel both knew well? Oh no, this could not be happening…

"Rachel, please tell me it isn't Finn."

That name was all it took. Rachel became a hysterical mess and her sobs were enough to wake up the whole neighbourhood. Kurt continued to rub her back in a soothing way.

"Shh, it's gonna be ok. You're gonna be ok."

"How is it gonna be ok Kurt? What am I going to do?"

"First you're gonna come with me to the hospital and we're gonna make sure. There's no point getting so worked up over nothing. Then, if you are pregnant, you're going to go home and do the honourable thing and tell James the truth. He's one of your closest friends so the least you can do is be honest with him. After that, you, Blaine and I are going to take a little trip to Lima, Ohio. Finn needs to know and this is not the kind of conversation you can have over the phone! Ok?"

"No I can't tell Finn!"

"You're going to have to Rachel. Whether you like it or not it's his baby in there, and he deserves to know. You can't keep a father away from his child Rachel, it's not right!"

"Yeah but it's been 7 years Kurt, he probably still hates me!"

"No Rachel, it's been two months! He might be upset that you left, but I know for a fact that he doesn't hate you. If you ask me, you two blatantly still love each other, if you didn't you wouldn't have fallen back into his arms so easily when you're in a committed relationship!"

"Kurt, I was pretty drunk."

"Yeah but you and I both know that Rachel Berry never gets drunk enough to not know what she's doing!"

"I do not love him Kurt!"

"Yeah you're not fooling anyone Berry, and take that pout off your face, it hasn't worked on me since high school! Now I mean this quite seriously Barbra Streisand, if you don't tell him I will! If he doesn't hate you now, he's gonna be pretty pissed when his brother tells him that his ex-girlfriend and love of his life is having his baby!"

"Damn your parents, why did they have to get married?"

"You know it's the right thing to do Rachel."

"Yeah you're right. Thank you Kurt." 

"No problem."

He hugged her tight and then went upstairs to arrange an appointment for Rachel later that day. Once the hard part was over, telling James and Finn, he was sure Rachel would calm down. After all, in 7 months she was going to be having a baby with the love of her life!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed/alerted/favourited my story, it' really kind of you and helps me increase my confidence as a writer :) I know most of you are probably eager to see Rachel telling James the truth and I promise that'll be next chapter. I really wanted to use this chapter to show Rachel's feelings about the baby and having to leave New York and tell Finn. I also wanted your opinions on something: do you think Rachel and James should remain friends after their break up or do you think it should be very dramatic and end in tears? Please review and let me know what you think :) and also **RatS** I didn't even think about Jesse St. JAMES but that was very clever of you to pick up!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Glee.

Rachel slowly made her way up the steps she had walked up so may times. She loved everything about New York and couldn't believe that in four short days she would have to leave it all behind. She was saying goodbye to all her friends and colleagues, not to mention James. But she couldn't think about James now. She was dreading telling him but she couldn't avoid it; the doctor had confirmed she was pregnant and she'd promised Kurt she would tell him. But not today, today she was still reeling from the news and she was too much of an emotional wreck to face that conversation. But there was someone else who needed to know and it wasn't fair to keep her in the dark any longer. So Rachel put on a brave face and knocked.

"Rachel! Hi, it seems like ages since I last saw you!"

"Hi Karen, yes I know, it's been too long."

Karen led Rachel into the apartment that was all too familiar to her. Karen was not only Rachel's best friend in New York, aside from Kurt, but she was also her agent. She'd picked Rachel up, straight out of Julliard and landed her every amazing role she'd had the fortune to play in her year and a half on the Off-Broadway stage. It wasn't going to be long before Rachel was a Broadway legend like she'd always dreamed. That was until she threw it all away on a drunken mistake. Karen was going to be so disappointed in her. Should she tell her that she was pregnant? Or just claim she had to go back to Lima for personal reasons? No, Karen was one of her best friends and she had to tell her the truth.

"So, what brings you here Rachel?"

"Karen I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"I don't understand. Are you firing me?"

"What? No! You're the best agent a girl could wish for, I would never fire you!"

"Ok, so what's this about?"

"I'm going to take a break from performing for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"I'm not sure…it could be forever."

"What? Rachel no! You can't quit; you're the best client I've ever had! You've got the most potential I've ever seen in all my years of being an agent and I'm not just saying that because you're my friend! I truly mean it. You don't know how close you are to Broadway Rachel; I've had so many people asking after you, wanting to know more about you. I'm begging you, as your agent and as your friend, don't give up on this!"

"Karen I don't want to give it up. Broadway has been my dream since I was a little girl and I never thought I would run away when I was so close! If I could change things, believe me I would, this is most definitely not my choice! But I have to go."

"What? Go where?"

"I'm moving back to Lima. I don't know how long I'll be gone for but I don't think I'll be coming back in the near future."

"But why?"

"Just promise you won't judge me."

"Rachel, I would never judge you."

"Ok, here goes. A couple of months ago I made a stupid mistake and now I have to face the consequences. You remember Finn right?"

"Your high school boyfriend who you're madly in love with! Yeah I remember him!"

"Karen I am not in love with him!"

"You ain't fooling nobody sister!"

"Whatever! Anyway, Finn was in town a couple of months ago to visit Kurt. He came round to say hi and see what I was doing and that night we went out and got pretty drunk."

"Hold on, Rachel Berry drunk or **drunk **drunk?"

"Karen, would I ever get drunker than Rachel Berry drunk?"

"True, but this does sound like exceptional circumstances!"

"I wish I was **drunk **drunk though! It would make what I did slightly more acceptable!"

"Rachel, what did you do?"

"I…I slept with him."

"Oh my God! Weren't you with James then?"

Rachel nodded feebly as a single tear made its way down her cheek.

"That's not all. I'm pregnant."

"Oh Rachel. Have you told James?"

"Not yet. I'm gonna tell him tomorrow."

"Have you told Finn?"

"That's why I'm going to Lima. I'm hoping that if he doesn't hate me, I can stay there and we can raise this baby together. Even if we can't be a couple."

"Oh honey, why would he hate you?"

"Seven years ago I ran away from him because I decided dreams were more important to me than love. I rejected his offer to try long distance and ignored all his attempts to get me to at least talk to him about the situation. I then spent seven years pretending he didn't exist. I broke his heart and made absolutely no attempt to fix it."

"Sweetie I'm sure he doesn't hate you. I'm pretty sure he loves you! But whether he does or not is irrelevant. What matters is that there is a little baby inside of you that both of you are gonna love no matter what feelings or grudges you hold for each other. Ok?"

"Yeah, thank you Karen. I'll miss you so much!"

"Hey, come on now! I'll be constantly bombarding you with emails and I want a copy of every photo you take! Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily!"

Rachel laughed as she wiped away her tears. She hugged Karen with all her might and nodded as Karen whispered:

"I'm gonna promise you something and you know I don't break promises! Everything's gonna be fine!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone :) thank you so, so much for all your lovely reviews they make me so happy and also a big thank you to everyone who alerted/favourited this story :D I hope this chapter lives up to expectations! One person told me they wanted a dramatic break up and someone else said they wanted them to remain friends so I tried to incorporate a bit of both, I hope it worked. Rachel will be returning to Lima very soon so please let me know which characters you would like to see in this story and also, do you want Shelby to be incorporated in this story? If you can please let me know what you think, I really appreciate it :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or anything to do with it.

Rachel rinsed her mouth and dragged herself over to her sofa. She was drained; pregnancy really took everything out of you. On top of booking plane tickets back to Lima, speaking to her dads about staying with them for a little while, without letting slip that she was pregnant, and trying to convince Kurt that he didn't need to check up on her every five minutes, her morning sickness had just started to kick in and Rachel Berry did not do throwing up. She had always led the healthiest lifestyle, which meant she never got sick and she wasn't used to the constant churning in her stomach.

She closed her eyes and was just about to lose herself in sleep, the one place where everything was ok; where she was Rachel Berry, Broadway legend and a baby was definitely not in the picture, when she heard it. The knock on the door. A knock that used to make her smile, made her excited, but now it filled her with dread. This what it. The end of the lies, the end of the hiding. Telling James didn't just mean breaking his heart, it meant facing up to the reality of her situation and she wasn't sure she was ready to do that. What was it that Jesse had told her in high school? 'That's the funny thing about reputations. Everyone thinks I'm the big heartbreaker, but the fact of the matter is you broke mine first." Rachel Berry had broken the heart of every boy who'd ever loved or come close to loving her. First there was Puck, she broke up with him and though he never loved her and they wouldn't have worked out, she knew she still hurt his feelings. Then there was Jesse and yes he did later go on to egg her, which shattered her heart into a million pieces, but didn't she break his heart first? Then there was Finn. Now she was about to do it again. She couldn't put it off anymore. So she tentatively stood up and headed for the door.

There he was, standing there smiling at her innocently, completely unaware of what she was about to tell him. He was so handsome he made her swoon! She had only met one guy who had been handsomer than James, and she was carrying his baby.

"Hey James."

"Hi Rachel, how are you?"

"Not too bad thank you and you?"

"A bit stressed out from work but other wise I'm good."

He smiled at her lovingly. She knew he loved her but she never let him say it. She didn't know what she would do if he did. She knew she couldn't say it back.

"Well come in. Can I get you anything?"

"Hey Rach?"

She flinched at the name. That was Finn's name for her. Only Finn's. Yes her friends sometimes called her Rach and she hadn't minded when James was just her friend but now that he was more than that she hated it. He meant in that same sweet, endearing, loving way that Finn meant it and it just wasn't right.

"Yes James?"

"It's me! You don't have to do this whole polite thing! What's got into you? You've been acting strange lately!"

"Sorry, I didn't realise! I just haven't been feeling that great and my head's kind of messed up! Anyway, did you want a drink?"

"Some tea would be great. I'm sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well, why didn't you tell me? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Yeah, tell me you hate me and never want to see me again and dump me now so I don't have to go through telling you myself!

"No, don't worry I'm fine! But thank you."

Rachel carried the drinks through to the sitting room and sat down on the couch. But she didn't snuggle up close to James like she used to. Nothing was the same as it used to be anymore.

James looked at Rachel, confused. She normally babbled on and on about something ridiculous when he was around her while he tried his best to listen to her! She looked pale and queasy and he didn't like the distance she had placed between them, it felt awkward and uncomfortable. She must really be sick.

"So, on the phone you said you had something to talk about?"

This was it; this was the end of everything she had grown accustomed to over the past four months. She had spent five days preparing herself for this moment; she knew exactly what she was going to say and how she was going to say it. She was an actress and she figured this would be easier if she turned it into a role she was playing, so she'd rehearsed her lines over and over again. So why now, couldn't she do it?

"I did? Oh well it can't have been very important because I honestly can't remember!"

"Rachel. You've been my friend for five years. You've been my girlfriend for four months. I know you. What's up?"

"How can you say that James? You don't know me at all! You don't know the first thing about me! You don't know that I tried bulimia once in high school, you don't know that I took performance enhancers before a competition in glee club, you don't know how much it hurt me when Jesse smashed that egg on my head, you don't know how much it hurt me when Finn broke up with me, you don't know how much it hurt me when I left Finn for good! You don't know my feelings, you don't know my history and you don't know that two months ago I slept with Finn Hudson and you don't know that I'm pregnant with his child!"

And there it was. The truth was out. Not in the way Rachel had planned, not gently or nicely. Any attempts at trying not to hurt his feelings had been thrown out the window and Rachel didn't even know why. Why was she punishing him? Of all people she deserved to be punished, he was being punished enough. Why was she angry at him for not knowing her like Finn did when she had never given him the opportunity to know her like Finn did.

She watched as his expression turned from one of shock at her sudden outburst, to one of hurt as what she had said finally sunk in, to one of anger. And there it was. This was not a movie or a Broadway show. She wasn't the stunning female lead who would be applauded at the end for her breathtakingly moving performance and he wasn't the heroic male lead who had acted his part so well in response to the shocking news he had just received. This was real life. The expressions on his face were painfully real and everything she had just said was true. And now he was looking at her like he loathed her, like it was a lifetime ago that he had told her that he knew her and he wanted her to open up.

"Well if I didn't know you then, Rachel Berry." He spat the name out like it was burning his mouth. "Then I definitely know you now!"

"James, please I'm so sorry!"

"For what?"

"For doing what I did, for not telling you sooner, for telling you in the way I just told you. And for letting you think that this relationship was ever going to work."

She stared at the floor as tears begun to spill out her eyes. She wanted to run away and hide. She wanted to be eaten up by the floor. She wanted to be that nine-year-old girl who was full of hopes and dreams. She wanted to be anywhere but here.

"How long have you known?"

"Known what?"

"Do not make me say it Rachel, you know what I'm talking about!"

"Only about five days."

"I just don't understand you Rachel. Four months we've been together, and I was starting to think you were letting your guard down just a little, that you might finally let me in. But that was all just some twisted delusion wasn't it? The truth is there's only one guy you would ever let your guard down to and you walked out on him a long time ago. And you have the audacity to accuse me of not knowing you? Well I'm sorry that I'm not a mind reader!"

"I know and I'm so sorry! I had absolutely no right to shout at you like that, you were just being sweet and kind and I hurt you so much. Please James, please can you try and forgive me. You're one of my closest friends."

"Rachel can't you see you're asking too much of me? Truth is I'm not really mad at you! How can I be? You're one of my closest friends and you're pregnant with some guy who lives in a different state's baby as the result of a one night stand, and it kills me to have to see you go through that, no matter how much what you did to me hurt. But there is a part of me that hates you for what you did Rachel, and I think it always will. I really loved you. I know you never felt that way about me but I always hoped you might and you just stomped all over that glimmer of hope I had left. I've never been much good at relationships. I really thought you would be my chance Rachel. I thought after knowing you for so long you would finally love me. I guess I thought wrong."

"James, you know I love you."

"But not in that way. And even if you had learnt to, you would never have loved me as much as you love him. So I guess, maybe, in some ways this is better. But it still hurts like hell Rachel, I need you to understand that."

"I do understand that James, believe me I do. But I can't lose you. Please just forgive me. I can't lose you."

"And you won't. But you can't click your fingers and make this all go away. Maybe one day we can get back that friendship we had. But I need you to give me time and space. You've got to allow me that much."

Rachel nodded slowly and stood helplessly as James walked out the apartment without looking back. Only then did she allow herself to fall to the floor as her body shook with the force of her sobs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Thank you for all the feedback on the last chapter you guys are amazing :D a lot of you wanted to see Finn so here he is! Next chapter they will be reunited!

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish I did, I don't own Glee!

He stared blankly at the 4x4 in front of him, his reflection in the side of the car mocking his every move.

This wasn't supposed to happen; he was Finn Hudson, star quarterback in high school, the most popular kid in school. He had plans and hopes for the future, so why was he stuck working at a dead end job in Burt Hummel's tyre shop?

He'd never been particularly good at schoolwork; ok he'd never been any good at schoolwork! But he'd tried so hard in Senior year so he could get into a New York college and be with her to help her achieve her dreams. But no one in New York cared about him and love and how much he needed to be with her. All they saw was a dumb Lima Loser who was going nowhere further in life than his step dad's tyre shop. Well they were right weren't they? They must be frickin' fortune-tellers or something!

He could of done it, he could of made something of himself, he was sure of it. If she'd let him. If she hadn't forced him to stay in Ohio and go to college when none of the New York offers came through. If she hadn't rejected every attempt he'd made to make long distance work. If she could've just seen how much he loved her.

Her dream was Broadway, he understood that and he would never stop her from getting that dream. But his dream? Well he didn't have one anymore. But he used to. His dream was to come home from any form of job he could possibly find in New York City and walk into their apartment where she would be waiting. His dream was to be in the front row smiling lovingly on opening and closing night of all her mind-blowing Broadway performances. His dream was to stand at the top of the aisle and see her walking down. His dream was to kiss her stomach and hold her hand as they had their first baby. His dream was to grow old with her.

But dreams were made to be broken. He of all people knew that. That's why his father died when he was a baby, crushing his mother's dreams. That's why Quinn had lied to him about the baby, crushing all his dreams. That's why he had kissed Rachel at Nationals in their Junior year, crushing everyone's dreams. He thought it was worth it at the time. Now if he could go back and undo all the heartache, all the pain, he would. Nothing was worth that, not even one measly year with her.

But he just had to go and sleep with her didn't he? He had to reopen wounds that had been closed for years. His life was a mess and it was all down to her.

Rachel Berry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/ favourited/ alerted my story it really helps my confidence as a writer :). So here is the big reunion! I hope it's ok and it meets your expectations! Please let me know any other characters you would like to see in this story and whether you think I should include Shelby.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Glee.

She made her way through the airport after picking up her baggage. She used to think the airport was ridiculously crowded, to the extent that she could barely breathe, but that was before she experienced New York. After New York everything felt tiny, especially Lima. Blaine was pushing the cart with all their luggage on and Kurt was carrying her hand luggage, refusing to let Rachel lift a finger despite the fact she was only nine weeks along. She dreaded to think what he was going to be like throughout the rest of her pregnancy, but it was nice that he cared. Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her and she legged it to the nearest bathroom. After emptying up the entirety of her disgusting plane lunch she shakily walked back into the arrivals lounge, only to have Kurt pounce on her making sure she was ok.

"Kurt I promise you I'm fine. It's just morning sickness, it's perfectly natural."

"Rachel, you're carrying my little niece or nephew in there, I just have to be sure."

"God help the woman who has to be a surrogate for you two one day!"

Kurt and Blaine shared a loving smile as they headed towards the exit.

"Ok Rachel, I guess I should tell you now. Finn's picking us up."

"What? Kurt how could you not tell me? What am I going to do? I'm not ready to see him; I was going to wait till tomorrow! I can't believe this!"

"Relax Rachel. I only found out just before we boarded when my Dad text me and I didn't want to stress you out anymore than I needed to. You're pregnant Rachel and I'm pretty sure stress isn't good for the baby."

"Like you would know, you've never been pregnant!"

Kurt and Blaine watched in amusement as she stormed off in a typical Rachel Berry fashion towards the doors where Finn would be waiting for them. Her diva attitude was stopped though when she reached the doors and slowly turned around to face Kurt and Blaine, looking scared and alone.

"I can't do this. I've caused him enough harm, this is going to ruin his life!"

Blaine held Kurt back by the arm before walking up to Rachel and giving her a comforting hug.

"I know this is scary Rachel. Being pregnant is a scary thing, whether you've been married for five years or you barely know the guy. I get that this isn't the best circumstance to be having a baby in, but you're not in high school. Finn has a stable job and a house. He's got what he needs to look after you and raise a baby. Trust me Rachel, you are not ruining his life. Ok?"

Rachel just nodded.

"Now I need you to promise me something Rachel. You've always been strong, remarkably so. It's something I've always admired. Well, in about seven months, there's gonna be a little person relying on you for everything. So you have about seven months to access that amazing, strong, confident woman inside you and be strong for your child. If you don't, nobody can. I know you can do it Rachel, I've seen you with kids and you're a natural. But now is the first step. You're going to go through there and face up to Finn. Don't tell him now; I'm not dragging his ass back to the car if he faints on us! But later tonight you're gonna tell him. He can only help you once he knows. I believe in you Rachel."

With that Rachel hugged Blaine so tight he could barely breathe, and whispered a 'thank you' in his ear. He patted her on the back nodding and then returned to the cart.

Kurt smiled at Blaine, patted Rachel's shoulder and then walked through the doors, closely followed by Rachel.

And there he was. Looking as handsome as ever. If Rachel didn't know him better she would say that he hadn't changed since high school. But she could see the faint lines of ageing, worry and sadness on his face. That old glint in his eye was gone. She wasn't sure when he lost it, but she was sure she was going to help him get it back.

He met her eyes and smiled his famous half smile at her, the one that had her weak at the knees. And just like that all those feelings came rushing back. All the ones that had never left, but had been bottled up inside her resurfaced and she was sure she was head over heels in love. She had to stop herself from running into his arms and kissing him in front of the entire airport. They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, because she had blown it. But he was still her best friend and so she fell willingly into his embrace and allowed him to kiss her hair while he whispered

"I've missed you."

She couldn't say anything. She didn't know if it was the pregnancy hormones or just seeing him again but she was crying uncontrollably. He lifted her chin up and forced her to look into his eyes and asked

"Hey, why are you crying?"

"I'm not sure! I've just really missed you too!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Thank you for all your reviews/favourites/alerts I really appreciated them :) I understand you really want to see Rachel tell Finn and I promise that'll be next chapter but I thought she ought to tell her Dads first so here you go and I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee.

After an awkward journey in which no one had really spoken, Finn and Rachel arrived at Rachel's old house. Kurt had insisted Finn drop him and Blaine round Sam and Mercedes' house as it was on the way.

"Do you want to come in and see my Dads?"

"No thanks I really should get home, I promised Mum I'd come round for dinner and I need to look reasonably presentable!"

She giggled and looked down.

"Do you see my Dads a lot?"

"Yeah I see them around quite often, I've serviced their cars a few times too!"

"You work at Burt's tyre shop?"

"Yeah I thought you knew that?"

"Nope, first I've heard of it. Kurt doesn't really tell me much…about you."

"Wow, well it sounds like we have a lot to catch up on!"

"Oh you have no idea!"

Finn stared at her with a confused expression on his face and she bit her lip nervously, wishing she hadn't said anything.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing in particular but it has been seven years!"

Thank God she was an actress!

He looked away hurt when she said that. Did that night really mean nothing to her? So much so that she was going to pretend it never happened? Or worse, had she forgotten it ever happened? After all they were pretty drunk.

"Well I guess I better go in."

"Let me help you with your bags."

He walked round and opened the passenger door for her before getting her bags out the car and carrying them to her front door.

"Thanks Finn, you're so chivalrous!" She said trying to mock her teenage voice, full of naivety and excitement.

He just laughed and seemed lost in the memory for a few moments. Then he grabbed both of her hands and stared into her eyes.

"So listen, I know we have a lot to talk about so why don't you come over to mine later and we can talk. We've got to learn about each other if we want to get our friendship back together and there's no point putting it off any longer."

"Yeah ok. But don't you have dinner with your family?"

"Yeah but those never go on too late and I really need to talk to you. My Mum will understand. So come over around nine yeah? You can stay over if you want. I have a guest bedroom!"

"Thanks Finn but I'm kind of looking forward to sleeping in my old bed tonight! But nine sounds perfect, I'll see you then."

She smiled at him and he bent down to kiss her on the cheek before heading back to his car and driving away. She waved at him until she couldn't see him anymore. She wasn't really that excited about sleeping in her own bed, she was sure her one in New York was much comfier, but she didn't think Finn would want her sleeping in his house once she told him. She didn't think he would want to be anywhere near her and she knew she had to tell him tonight. But first she had to tell the two most important men in her life. So she slowly went into the house she grew up in.

"Dad? Daddy?"

Upon hearing their daughter's voice Hiram and Leroy Berry came rushing through from their living room and embraced Rachel in an enormous hug like they used to do whenever she got back from a school trip or achieved something they were proud of. Her eyes filled with tears at the memories and she hated to think how much she was about to disappoint them.

"Oh sweetie, don't cry. Hear come and sit down and Dad will take your stuff upstairs."

Hiram led Rachel through to the sitting room and made sure she was sitting comfortably.

"Can I get you anything honey?"

"No thank you Daddy, I'm fine. I just can't believe I haven't been here in seven years! Nothing's changed! I'm so sorry I never visited sooner."

"Oh no sweetie we understand. You're a New Yorker now you don't need to be reminded of your small town past! I know your teenage years were hard for you. And it's not like we never see you now is it?"

"No I guess not."

"So Rachie. What brings you back to Lima at such short notice?"

Rachel took a deep breath and was about to tell Hiram the truth when Leroy burst into the room.

"Oh baby it's been too long! So tell us all about New York. What's been happening since we last saw you?"

Grateful for the change of subject Rachel smiled at her Dad as she answered.

"Oh not much really. I continued my role in 'Little Shop Of Horrors' until a couple of weeks ago, so I've mainly been focusing on that I guess."

"So why did you end that role sweetie? I thought you were loving it?"

"I was but I guess the stress of performing got a bit much. I needed a break from it all and Kurt and Blaine were coming back to Lima for a vacation so I figured I might as well come too. It'll be nice to see everybody again."

"Well we're very glad you did." Hiram said exchanging a smile with Leroy.

"And tell me, are you still seeing that boy? What was his name again?"

"Daddy I am not in high school, he's not a boy! His name is James and no, I'm not still seeing him." She trailed off biting her lip and playing with the hem of her skirt.

"But you two are still friends right? I mean, wasn't he your friend before you broke up?"

"Yeah we're still friends. At least I think we are."

Rachel tried to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes but Leroy saw and he rushed to put his arm around her.

"You see Rachel this is why I think it's not a good idea to date your friends. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

It was now or never.

"We broke up because…because…I'm pregnant. I'm so sorry Dad, Daddy."

Hiram and Leroy immediately became filled with rage. How could this boy impregnate their baby girl and then walk away from her?

"That's it! This boy is going to pay!"

"Dad no! You don't understand!"

"No Rachel. There is no way he gets to run off and leave you to raise his baby. I won't have it!"

"Dad please just listen to me!"

"There's nothing to say Rachel."

"Leroy lets just hear what she has to say before we jump to any conclusions."

Hesitantly Leroy made his way back to the couch and sat down, looking expectantly at Rachel.

"Well?"

"It's not James' baby."

"What?"

Both of Rachel's fathers stared at her with looks of shock and hurt plastered across their faces.

"Rachel Barbra Berry please tell me you did not cheat on your boyfriend!"

"I'm so sorry Dad! I was drunk and it was a mistake and it should never have happened!"

"You think? God Rachel I thought we brought you up better than this!"

"Leroy calm down!"

"I am so sorry Dad. I feel terrible and if I could turn back time I would."

"That's what they all say!"

"Leroy! She doesn't need this right now! She made a mistake and she's accepted that, now can we just move on? Whatever she did wrong she is carrying our grandbaby so just be her father, not her lecturer."

Hiram squeezed Rachel's hand in support and they watched as Leroy sunk into an armchair.

"You're right. I'm sorry Rachel. Now do you at least know the father?"

"Yes of course I do!"

"So….who is it?"

"Finn Hudson."

It came out barely above a whisper but they heard. They watched as she broke down in front of them and tried their best to console her. No one deserved this. Especially not Rachel. She was so kind and thoughtful and she made one mistake and this is what she gets.

"Oh baby. Have you told him?"

"Not yet. I'm going round tonight."

"Well you know we'll be beside you every step of the way sweetie. We love you so much."

"Thank you. I love you too."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for all the feedback from the last chapter, I really appreciate it. I really hope this chapter is what you've been hoping for. Please review if you can :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or the song 'Hey There Delilah'-all credit for that goes to the Plain White T's.

Rachel lay on her bed thinking. She was thinking of what she was going to say to Finn, how he was going to react and she was remembering. Remembering the happy and sad times they had been through together and wondering why she'd given it all up.

Her mind strayed to their second to last week of glee club. Nationals were over and they had returned to McKinley with that first place trophy, but still no further up on the food chain! Their assignment was to say goodbye. It could be to someone in particular, to the whole glee club or to high school in general. Of course Finn and Rachel were taking this opportunity to say goodbye to each other. Finn was determined to convince Rachel that their relationship wasn't over and he sung the most emotional and heartfelt song anyone had ever seen him sing.

**-Flashback-**

_Finn stood at the front of the choir room, his stomach tying itself in knots and praying to a God he wasn't sure he believed in that this would convince Rachel to try long distance._

"_My song is for Rachel. Rachel you mean the world to me and I can't believe that we have to say goodbye. I'm not gonna say much 'cause I'll get way too emotional! But I promise you Rachel Berry that you have my heart and I will love you forever. I love you Rachel."_

_He nodded at Brad and the familiar tune filled the choir room._

_**Hey there Delilah what's it like in New York City**_

_**I'm a thousand miles away**_

_**But girl tonight you look so pretty, yes you do**_

_**Times Square can't shine as bright as you; I swear it's true**_

_**Hey there Delilah don't you worry about the distance**_

_**I'm right there if you get lonely give this song another listen**_

_**Close your eyes, listen to my voice it's my disguise**_

_**I'm by your side**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**What you do to me**_

_**Hey there Delilah, I know times are getting hard**_

_**But just believe me girl; someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar**_

_**We'll have it good; we'll have the life we knew we would**_

_**My word is good**_

_**Hey there Delilah, I've got so much left to say**_

_**If every simple song I wrote to you**_

_**Would take your breath away, I'd write it all**_

_**Even more in love with me you'd fall, we'd have it all**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**A thousand miles seems pretty far**_

_**But they've got planes and trains and cars**_

_**I'd walk to you if I had no other way**_

_**Our friends would all make fun of us**_

_**And we'll just laugh along because we know**_

_**That none of them have felt this way**_

_**Delilah I can promise you**_

_**That by the time that we get through**_

_**The world will never ever be the same**_

_**And you're to blame**_

_**Hey there Delilah**_

_**You be good and don't you miss me**_

_**Two more years and you'll be done with school**_

_**And I'll be making history like I do**_

_**You'll know it's all because of you**_

_**We can do whatever we want to**_

_**Hey there Delilah here's to you**_

_**This one's for you**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**Oh it's what you do to me**_

_**What you do to me**_

_By the time Finn had finished the whole glee club had tears in their eyes and Rachel was practically sobbing as she ran up to him and kissed him passionately. And for once no one told them to 'get a room' or that it was 'inappropriate'. No one was happy about it, but everyone knew that Finchel was over._

**-End Flashback-**

Rachel wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at the clock. 8:45pm. It was time for her to go. Whether she was ready or not, she had to tell him.

Before Rachel knew it she was knocking on Finn's door, trying to stop herself from running away or breaking down at his doorstep. She took a deep breath as she watched Finn open the door and smile at her. She attempted to smile back, but she couldn't even convince herself. Finn brushed it off, telling himself she was tired and welcomed her inside.

He led her to his living room and fetched her a glass of water before sitting down in the chair across from her.

"So how have you been Rachel? We haven't really talked in a while. How's the whole Broadway thing working out for you?"

She visibly grimaced when he said Broadway but quickly used her acting skills to turn it into a relaxed smile. He didn't miss the pained expression on her face though. He never missed anything with her.

"Yeah it's good. I haven't got to Broadway just yet but I've been in a number of Off-Broadway performances, my latest one being 'Little Shop Of Horrors'."

"That sounds great. I've never heard of it, but it sounds really great!"

She laughed at how little he seemed to have changed since high school.

"And what about you? What have you been up to? Are you seeing anybody?"

She prayed the answer would be no. Him having a girlfriend would seriously complicate things. She was such a mess; she was asking the father of her baby the questions you ask a distant relative you haven't seen since you were fifteen.

"Well as you know I went to Ohio State after graduation. I tried to make it as a professional football player but that never really took off so in the end I moved back to Lima and took the job in Burt's tyre shop. Sure it was never my dream but it pays the bills!"

She smiled nervously as she watched the pain in his eyes from his confession.

"And no I'm not seeing anybody. Quinn and I dated for a couple of years on and off when I moved back to Lima but it never really worked out. How about you?"

She looked down sadly and whispered a 'no' before smiling brightly at him again.

"So, what's everyone from glee doing now? I haven't really kept in touch with anyone but Sam, Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine."

"Well Quinn and Puck got married about a year ago and still live here in Lima with their six month old son Jackson. Tina, Mike, Brittany and Santana all moved to LA where Brittany, Mike and Tina are all choreographers for the stars and Santana is a successful recording artist! Lauren moved to Chicago after college and I don't think she really kept in touch with anyone so no one really knows what she's doing. Artie married his college girlfriend Amy and they live in Michigan I think. And Mr. Schue and Miss. Pillsbury got married about five years ago and they moved to Columbus with their daughter Maia."

"Wow. So everyone really got what they wanted! Wait…what's happened to the glee club now Mr. Schue's gone?"

"I think it kind of died out. No one wanted to take over and none of the kids cared enough to fight for it. I guess it's just not what it used to be."

"But that's terrible!"

"Yeah but these things can't carry on forever can they Rachel?"

Rachel looked visibly hurt as she realised the hidden meaning behind Finn's words and Finn regretted saying them as soon as he saw the look on Rachel's face.

"So why have you come back Rachel? I remember you telling me you were never coming back."

"Can't a girl come and visit her dads?"

"Rachel…you've been away for seven years and you've never once come back. You left Lima behind, why come back now?"

This was it. She had to tell him. Her stomach flipped at the thought and she legged it to the bathroom. Damn morning sickness, it had to come at the most inopportune times! It wasn't even morning! Before she knew it Finn was behind her, holding back her hair and rubbing her back. Just like she'd always dreamed he would be when they had a baby. But nothing worked out like it did in her dreams did it? She hadn't preformed on Broadway and won a bunch of Tony's by the time she was twenty-five, she hadn't married Finn Hudson and their child was the result of an ill-timed one night stand.

She stood up and rinsed her mouth out before allowing Finn to lead her back to the living room.

"Are you ok Rachel? What was that about? You could have cancelled if you were sick, I would have understood."

"Finn, there's something I really have to tell you. It's the reason I'm back in Lima, and I'm so sorry that I have to do this to you."

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Well, what is it? Rachel you're scaring me!"

"Finn, I…I'm pregnant."

His face immediately drained of all colour and he shook his head in confusion.

"I don't understand Rachel. Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it's your baby and I thought you had a right to know! But you're obviously not interested. I knew this was a mistake, goodbye Finn."

"Wait Rachel no!"

He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that. I just freaked out. This…this wasn't supposed to happen!"

She just stood their sobbing and he pulled her into his arms as he gave her the most comforting hug he could when he was scared out of his mind. He'd been through this before and he just had to ask.

"Rachel, please don't hate me for saying this, but are you sure it's mine?"

"No, I understand. And yes, I'm sure. There hasn't been anyone else in a long time."

"How far along are you?"

"Nine weeks."

"How have you been feeling?"

"Ok. I mean, morning sickness sucks and I'm scared to death about being a mom but mostly I've just been scared about telling people. About telling you."

"Why would you be scared Rachel?"

"I wasn't sure how you would react. I thought you would yell at me for putting you through this and want nothing to do with me or the baby."

"How could you think that Rach? This is just as much my fault as it is yours…in fact it's probably more my fault. And this is definitely not the situation I would wish for, but you, Rachel Berry, love of my life, are carrying my baby. I'm pretty happy!"

Rachel smiled and held onto Finn tighter.

"Who else have you told?"

"Kurt, my manager Karen and my Dads."

"Ok, well we should probably keep it quiet, at least until you pass the three month mark."

"Since when did you become such a pregnancy expert?"

"Well, although Quinn and I broke up a long time ago, I'm still pretty close friends with her and I was there throughout her pregnancy so I kind of know what's going on!"

"Well, that's good, because I honestly have no idea!"

He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry Rach. I know it sounds scary now, but we're gonna get through this, I promise. You and the baby can move in with me, I'll support you and I'll be there during you're pregnancy too Rach, we can have the family we've always dreamed of!"

Just like that he bent down and kissed her full on the lips. Rachel melted into the kiss for a few moments, enjoying the familiar feeling and how quickly their mouths fit back into place like they always used to. But then she realised what she was doing and, unwillingly she pulled away.

"Finn we can't do this. Aside from that night we haven't seen each other for seven years. We need to just be friends, we can't rush into things!"

"Rachel, we're having a baby; I think we're past the stage of rushing into things!"

"Which is why I think we should take things slowly. If we rush back into a relationship everything will go so fast that before we know it we'll be right back where we started!"

"But I love you Rachel."

"And I love you too, so much. But this isn't about us anymore; this is about our son or daughter. So I'm gonna stay with my Dads for now. But I'll be round your house more than I'll be away from it! And I promise that I'll definitely move in once the baby's born, if not before. So let's just be friends for now, and see where that takes us. Ok?"

"Fine. But you better keep that promise!"

"You have my word! Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go home and sleep, being pregnant really wares you out!"

He laughed again and walked her to the door.

"Well, thank you for telling me Rachel. And make sure you sleep well and look after our baby!"

"I will. And thank you for being so amazing about this."

Finn just smiled and watched as she drove away. He was filled with mixed emotions. He was both scared and excited about being a dad, he was sad that Rachel wouldn't take him back, he was upset that he had forced Rachel to return to Lima, and he was shocked at the news Rachel had brought to him.

In the end he couldn't cope anymore. Scared and confused he ran up to his bedroom and cried himself to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Thank you guys for all your sweet comments and helpful advice it is really lovely of you to take the time to do that :) If you have any suggestions for who you would like to see in this story or anything you would like to see happen please let me know and I will try my best to include it. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter if you have time and I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **I can keep dreaming, but I still won't own Glee!

Finn rolled out of bed that morning dreading the day ahead of him. First he had to tell his Mom and he was pretty sure she was going to be disappointed in him, then he had to go for dinner at the Berry's and he wasn't sure he could face the disapproving glares from Rachel's Dads for knocking up their baby girl!

He looked like hell! He'd cried so much last night that his eyes were red and puffy and he was as white as a sheet. If he didn't know better he'd think he was ill. Great, his Mom was going to think he was ill, and then she'd go into super worry mode and he wasn't sure he could deal with calming her down, he needed her to comfort him!

He just wished he could work out his emotions. Part of him was really excited, he was having a baby with the girl of his dreams and it wasn't like he was in high school and it would ruin his life or anything, but part of him was absolutely terrified, he could barely take care of himself let alone a baby! He couldn't imagine how Rachel was feeling at the moment, not only did she have to face being a mom but she had seven more months of pregnancy and giving birth still to go through. Plus everything was changing for her. She'd had to give up her dream and her job and her life that she had spent seven years building up! He was such an idiot, why did he have to sleep with her?

After forcing down some burnt toast, Finn reluctantly got in his car and drove to his mother's house. The sooner this was over, the better. With his stomach tying itself in knots he knocked on the door.

"Oh, hi Finn. Come in sweetie."

He followed his mother into the house he had once lived in. Back when he was about to graduate and he had the whole world at his feet, he could be whoever he wanted to be.

"So is there any particular reason you're here Finn? If you came to see Kurt he went to the mall but Blaine's here."

"Where's Burt?"

"He's at work…I would've thought you knew that sweetie."

"Is it really Monday? Whoa time flies!"

"Are you ok honey? You don't look too good, are you sick?"

"No, I'm fine Mom honestly."

"Ok…so, why are you here exactly? I'm sorry sweetie as much as I'd love to talk I do have rather a lot to do today!"

"Rachel's pregnant."

As soon as Finn said this Carole's expression changed from one of confusion to one of sympathy for her son and she held him tightly as he sobbed against her shoulder like he used to do when he was a little boy. She understood how hard this must be on him. She had met Rachel and she was a lot to lose and it was obvious how much Finn loved her. She knew that Finn had never gotten over her and she was beginning to doubt he ever would.

Once Finn had calmed down Carole sat him down on the sofa and put her arm around him comfortingly.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry, I know how hard this must be for you. Is that why she's back in Lima?"

All Finn could do was nod and continue to stare out the window.

"Does she know who the father is?"

Finn turned to Carole with a look of bewilderment. He had assumed she had picked up that it was his baby; didn't his uncontrollable sobbing mirror that of when she had found out about Quinn being pregnant?

"Mom, it's me."

"What?"

"I'm the father."

"What? No, that's impossible! No! I mean Rachel lives in New York, you haven't seen her for seven years, there is absolutely no way that baby could be yours!"

Finn attempted to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall at the desperation in his Mom's voice.

"I'm so sorry Mom. It happened two months ago when I went to visit Kurt. I ran into Rachel and…we had a bit to drink. It was a stupid mistake and I regret it, but maybe it's not so bad! I mean you're gonna be a grandma and did you honestly think you stood a chance of that otherwise?"

"No Finn. This is not ok. Are you sure it's yours?"

"Mom! Rachel would never do something like that!"

"Well no I wouldn't think so but I didn't think Quinn would do something like that either."

"Rachel is the exact opposite of Quinn, which is exactly why it's been seven years and I'm still madly in love with her!"

"Don't you realise what you've done Finn? Rachel had a life, a career in New York that she spent years building up, and now she has to throw it all away. I'm not blaming this solely on you, I understand that this is her fault but at the end of the day I think that poor girl's being punished enough!"

"I know Mom, I wish I had never of done it, but there's nothing I can do about it now. One day Rachel will get back on that Broadway stage, I'm sure of it. She just has to put it on hold for a little bit. I love her and I will help her through all of this, and I'm gonna be the best dad ever to that little kid. When the time is right for Rachel to go back to New York, I will be behind her every step of the way."

"Finn, you know I want this to be ok, I really do. I just can't see how it's going to work out. You two live in separate states, Rachel has Broadway and you're not even in a relationship, how are you planning on raising a baby?"

"Rachel's gonna move to Lima, for now. And, in a few years, we can move out to New York together and she can pick up the Broadway thing again. She wants to take it slow for now, so we don't rush into things and ruin everything for the baby, but eventually we'll be together again I'm sure of it. She's planning on moving in with me once the baby's born, possibly before depending on how things go. I know this isn't ideal, and if I could change things I would. But we've got this figured out. It can work Mom."

"Ok. Well you do sound like you have a plan, and Rachel's a lovely girl and I know how much you love her, so I guess I'm ok with this…obviously I would have preferred you to have a planned baby within wedlock but it could be worse. And I'll be here for you and Rachel every step of the way, and I'll get Burt onside too!"

"Thank you Mom, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"So honestly sweetie, how are you feeling about this?"

"Terrified! But it's a good terrified. After all, I'm having a baby with Rachel Berry, that's kind of everything I've ever dreamed of!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback I received for the last chapter, I really appreciate the time you've taken to review and help me make this a better story. Thank you for the constructive criticism I received as well as the kind things you said as it really does help me to be a better writer.

To the person who reviewed about Rachel and Finn regretting the pregnancy and Carole being unhappy I completely understand what you're saying and all of it is very true, I was just trying to make it seem like they were still shocked and hadn't completely accepted the pregnancy yet, but I have taken your feedback on board and tried to keep it in mind while I wrote this chapter.

Thanks again and sorry I've rambled on for so long! I hope you enjoy this :)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my imagination!

Rachel woke up bright and early, excited and nervous about the day ahead. She sat up and rubbed her tiny bump tenderly, it was funny, but since her bump started to form she'd developed an overwhelming sense of love and protectiveness for her unborn child. Today was the day of her twelve-week scan. Finn was coming to pick her up in about an hour and a half and she was sure she had never been this scared!

Finn barely slept last night, he couldn't contain his excitement, today he was going to see his child for the first time. His Mom had warmed to the idea and was actually really excited about being a grandmother. He had to go and pick Rachel up in a little bit, luckily the morning sickness had died down so she was more upbeat; she was even starting to act more like the old Rachel, someone he hadn't seen in seven years.

Rachel sighed and headed downstairs, feeling slightly dizzy, but according to the books that was normal, and at least she wasn't being sick anymore. Leroy was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper when Rachel came in.

"Hey baby, how did you sleep?"

"Well thank you Dad, and you?"

"Reasonably well, although your Daddy was having one of his sleep talking nights again!"

They both laughed while Leroy rolled his eyes!

"Where is Daddy?"

"He had to run off to work, some emergency but he didn't really go into detail. What time is Finn picking you up?"

"About half eight."

"Wow, early appointment!"

"Yeah! We wanted to get it over and done with…so we didn't have to worry all day."

Leroy stood up and went to comfort his daughter.

"Oh sweetie. Don't you worry. Everything will be fine, I promise. Your little star is going to be perfect!"

"My little star?"

"Sweetie, I've seen Finn preform and he's very talented. And we all know how talented the one and only Rachel Berry is! So yes, I think we can safely say that that child is your little star!"

Rachel smiled and hugged her father, before grabbing a piece of toast and running upstairs to finish getting ready.

Just as she got upstairs the doorbell rang and Leroy opened it to find a very nervous looking Finn on the other side.

"Hello Finn."

"Hello Mr. Berry."

"Please come in."

"Thank you."

"Rachel, Finn's here."

"I'll be down in a minute."

An awkward silence filled the air as Leroy and Finn stood in the hallway waiting for Rachel.

"Mr. Berry, I wanted to thank you again for having me over to dinner the other night. It really was lovely."

"You're welcome Finn. It was nice to have you round again."

The men exchanged a small smile before Rachel came running down the stairs like an excited schoolgirl!

"Whoa, take it easy Rach! Don't forget you've got a little person in there!"

"I'm fully aware of that Finn!"

Finn gulped at the angry expression on Rachel's face, but he didn't fail to notice how amused Leroy looked!

"Well you two be careful! And Rachel try not to kill Finn on the way to the appointment, at least let him see his child once!"

"Oh very funny Dad!"

"I thought so! Anyway, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Dad, how many times do I have to tell you, we're fine! Besides, I want this to be between Finn and me."

Rachel and Finn shared a soft smile and Finn put his arm around Rachel.

"I promise I'll look after her Mr. Berry."

"Alright well you two enjoy it and make sure you bring us a picture!"

"We will. See you later Dad, I love you."

Rachel kissed Leroy on the cheek before stepping out onto the porch and taking a deep breath.

"Thanks Mr. Berry, bye."

"Bye Finn."

Finn and Rachel began to make their way towards Finn's car before Leroy stopped them.

"Oh and Finn! You can call me Leroy."

Finn smiled and nodded whilst Rachel beamed and jumped up and down excitedly!

"Come on you! Lets get you to that appointment before you pass out!"

The drive to their appointment was quiet, as they were both lost in thoughts of what they were about to experience.

When they finally pulled up outside the clinic, Rachel became paralysed in her seat. Half of her was screaming at her to get out the car, and the other half was telling her to run away as fast as she could. She noticed Finn get out beside her, but still she was unable to move.

Before she knew it Finn had opened her door and was standing next to her looking confused.

"Uh Rach? If we don't hurry up we're gonna miss our appointment!"

"I can't do this Finn! What if there's something wrong with the baby?"

Finn saw the fear in her eyes and he bent down beside her and softly laid his hands on her bump.

"Hey, listen to me. Nothing is gonna be wrong with the baby. You are the strongest, most amazing girl I know, which means, our baby is gonna be the strongest, most amazing baby I know. Now come on Rach, this isn't bad, this is one of the most exciting days of our lives. Now lets enjoy it!"

Rachel nodded and allowed Finn to lead her into the waiting room.

Before she knew it she was lying on the bed waiting for the doctor to enter her room.

"Rachel Berry?"

Rachel nodded and attempted to smile at the doctor.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Blake, but you can just call me Eva. And you must be the father?"

"Yes, hi I'm Finn Hudson."

"Hi Finn. Now, how are you feeling today Rachel?"

"Not too bad thank you. I'm a little nervous but aside from that I'm ok!"

"Well that's completely normal but don't worry, I'm sure everything's fine. So from my notes, you're about twelve weeks along?"

Rachel nodded and held onto Finn's hand tightly.

"Have you been experiencing any pain or discomfort?"

"No, apart from morning sickness, nothing."

"Good. Has the morning sickness faded yet?"

"Yes, it stopped about three days ago."

"Well you may experience a bit more, but it's very unlikely. Now, lets take a look at that baby shall we?"

Rachel nodded before looking at Finn nervously. He gave her a reassuring smile and then kissed her hand.

"Ok Rachel, can you lift your shirt up for me? Thanks, now this may feel a little cold."

Rachel and Finn stared intently at the screen as the picture began to appear and the sound of a heartbeat filled the room.

"I'm sure you can hear the heartbeat, and here." Eva pointed to a small shape on the screen, "is your baby."

Both expectant parents had tears streaming down their faces as they stared, transfixed, at their baby.

"Well, everything seems healthy, I'll just go and print you some pictures. Congratulations!"

Rachel slowly turned her head towards Finn.

"Thank you."

It came out as a whisper, small and fragile, but he still heard it, and he smiled and kissed her forehead softly.

As she turned her head back to focus on the screen, she whispered:

"Our little star."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted, it means so much to me. Sorry I haven't updated in a while I was in London seeing Glee Live :) it was AMAZING! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Glee

Rachel's hands were shaking as she carried the plate of biscuits and cakes through to Finn's living room. Not only did she have to face her sworn enemy, who she hadn't seen in seven years, but she also had to tell her that she was having her ex-boyfriend's baby! Quinn Fabray was definitely not first on Rachel's list to share the news with, but she was Finn's friend and he had insisted they tell her.

Finn walked into the living room to find a very nervous Rachel Berry wearing the baggiest shirt she owned, attempting to do yoga breaths to calm herself down! He crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her gently.

"Gosh Rachel…anyone would think you were nervous about something!"

"Shut up Finn!"

She pushed him away and busied her self neatening out the cushions on the sofa.

"Rach, you don't need to be nervous. Quinn is not gonna be mad, or horrible. She's married to Puck now, they have a kid together, she is not interested in me. And she's matured a lot since high school, she's not the manipulative Cheerio who used to bully you, everything will be fine."

"Finn she's hated me from the day she met me, why would that have suddenly changed? And it's not just her we have to tell…I can't begin to imagine how Mercedes is going to react, she'll freak!"

"Rachel you need to calm down! I swear you weren't even this worked up when you told me!"

"You have no idea Finn Hudson!"

"Fine, I take it back! But these guys are your friends, they'll be nothing but supportive."

"Please, since when has Quinn Fabray been my friend?"

"Ok fine, maybe not her. But she will be supportive Rachel, I promise. She's been through teenage pregnancy and she has another kid, I think she's got it covered!"

Just then the doorbell rang. Finn grabbed Rachel's hand and squeezed it before going to open the door.

He was met by Quinn, Puck and their baby Jackson. He immediately reached for Jackson and tickled him playfully before turning to hug Quinn.

"Hey Quinn."

"Hey Finn, how are you?"

"I'm ok thanks Quinn, you?"

"Not too bad thanks."

Quinn made her way past Finn as Puck and Finn fist bumped.

"Alright man?"

"Yeah thanks dude."

They followed Quinn into the living room, but she suddenly stopped abruptly when she saw Rachel Berry sitting on the couch biting her lip. She tentatively stood up and smiled a little when she saw Finn with Jackson and how natural it seemed. Suddenly Puck stepped forward.

"Wow Berry, long time no see!"

Rachel laughed as Puck pulled her into a giant hug that felt so familiar.

"Well Noah, you haven't changed!"

Puck laughed and moved aside so Rachel could greet Quinn.

"Hi Quinn, it's nice to see you again."

Quinn just nodded and continued to stare at Rachel as if she had just seen a ghost. Rachel decided to let her get over the initial shock and made her way over to Finn and Jackson.

"Hi there. I'm Rachel. Aren't you a handsome boy? Gosh Quinn, he looks just like you!"

Again Quinn just nodded, but a faint smile formed on her face as she looked at her little boy.

"Do you want to hold him Rach?"

Rachel looked up at Finn with hope and excitement in her eyes before turning to Quinn to ask for her consent.

Quinn seemed to consider it for a while but eventually she nodded and smiled reassuringly at Rachel. Rachel's smile grew and she reached eagerly for the baby.

They all moved into the living room with Jackson sitting happily on Rachel's lap and Quinn sitting beside Rachel, ready to grab him should Rachel make one wrong move.

"So Rachel, what brings you back to this cow town?"

"Wow Noah, I must have misjudged you earlier, I do believe you just called me Rachel!"

"Get over it **Berry**! But seriously…why are you here?"

Rachel looked over at Finn, and then looked at Jackson before putting on a show face and smiling at Puck.

"Well, I will tell you. But just wait until Sam and Mercedes are here."

Right on queue the doorbell rang and despite Rachel's pleading eyes to let her go and answer it, Finn walked to the door and opened it.

"Sam, hey man. You alright?"

"Yeah thanks, you?"

"Yeah thanks. Come in. Hey Mercedes, how are you?"

"Hey Finn, I'm great thanks but I need to see my favourite diva! Favourite female diva that is!"

Finn and Sam laughed as Mercedes pushed past them and ran into the living room. As soon as Rachel saw her, her eyes lit up and she immediately passed Jackson to Quinn before standing up and squeezing Mercedes until she couldn't breathe!

"Rachel! It's been so long!"

"I know, it's been too long! How have you been?"

"Great thanks, and yourself?"

"Yeah, not too bad thanks."

"I have big news!"

Mercedes threw her left hand in front of Rachel's face to reveal a very big diamond engagement ring! Rachel immediately screamed and the two started jumping up and down like teenagers while everyone else looked on in amusement.

"Oh my God Mercedes this is amazing! Congratulations!"

"I know. I'm so excited!" 

Mercedes shared a loving look with Sam before turning her attention back to Rachel.

"So when did this happen?"

"About three weeks ago, I wanted to tell you in person!"

"Aaw Mercedes, I'm so happy for you!"

The two hugged again while the guys (who already knew about it) patted Sam on the back and Quinn kissed Jackson on the head and smiled at Mercedes.

"So come on, I want every little detail!"

"Oh, we can talk about that some other time. Right now I wanna know what you're doing in Lima? Seven years Rachel…you didn't visit once…why now?"

"I'm so sorry Mercedes. I guess I just got caught up in everything."

"Well lets not dwell on that…why are you here Rachel?"

Rachel slowly turned to look at Finn, who gave her a reassuring smile and nodded his head.

"Well…I'm pregnant…and Finn's the father."

Rachel looked around to see similar expressions of shock on everyone's faces and Finn came up to her and put his arm around her waist.

Eventually Quinn spoke quietly, and in a somewhat hurt tone.

"I just don't understand how this happened?"

Finn met Quinn's gaze as he thought of what to say.

"Well…um…about three months ago I went to New York to visit Kurt and Blaine. I ran into Rachel and well…one thing led to another and…yeah!"

Both Finn and Rachel were bright red by the time Finn stopped talking and Rachel had buried her face in Finn's side.

"Wow Berry, I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Shut it Puckerman!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh despite herself, trust Puck to say something like that!

After about ten minutes of nobody saying anything, Mercedes suddenly yelled out

"I call godmother!"

Just like that the tension was removed and the whole group was laughing hysterically!

The rest of the evening was spent playing games, catching up and generally enjoying each other's company. Before they knew it, it was time for everybody to leave. Mercedes and Sam were dropping Rachel back on their way home. They were about to leave and Rachel was standing at the door as Finn knelt down with his hands on her tiny bump whispering to their baby.

Sam and Mercedes linked hands and smiled at the sight, before Mercedes leaned over and whispered

"Finchel baby! Well, we all knew this day would come!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for all the lovely feedback from the last chapter, you guys are amazing! If you have any ideas for things you'd like to see happen in this story or characters you would like to be included then please let me know :) I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I can keep wishing…but I still won't own Glee!

Rachel was now fifteen weeks along and although her baby bump was not big, it was expanding quickly. Eventually, after weeks of begging, she gave into Kurt and allowed him to take her shopping for maternity clothes before he returned to New York. She was slightly worried when Mercedes had said she would come too, her two best friends had very strong opinions, especially about fashion, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't get one item of clothing she actually wanted to buy! However, she would never miss a day with her two fellow divas!

"Now Rachel, it can be said that your style has improved dramatically since high school but there's still major work needed! I'm thinking we should see this pregnancy as an opportunity to create an entirely new look for you, especially if you want Finn back!"

Kurt quickly ducked into the nearest store before Rachel had the chance to hit him or even look at him; she was hot on his heels though, followed by a giggling Mercedes.

"I'll have you know, Kurt Hummel, that I can have Finn whenever I want to!"

Rachel immediately blushed as she realised what she just said and she stormed over to the nearest maternity wear, ignoring the hysterical laughter behind her.

She picked up a pink dress with gold stars all over it, thinking it was perfect, but changed her mind when she saw the look on her friends' faces.

"Well come on guys…this is just so…me!"

Kurt just shook his head while Mercedes continued to stare at the dress in disgust.

"Exactly Rachel, and I'm pretty sure that's the look we're trying to get away from!"

Rachel's hormones were beginning to act up and she didn't respond well to Kurt's criticism. Instead, she threw the dress in his face and sat down on one of the stools for trying on shoes.

"Fine then, I shall simply sit here and you can pick out every single item of clothing I am to wear while I carry around this god damn giant! I mean seriously, I'm fifteen weeks and I'm the size of an elephant! Couldn't Finn have thought about his size before he knocked me up?"

"Rachel, you're tiny. Most girls are bigger than you at fifteen weeks. I mean you're such a small person and you're a vegan so you'll never be the size of an elephant."

"Jeez Mercedes, you're so slow sometimes! I am not a vegan anymore thanks to this kid and Finn is like seven flaming feet higher than me!"

Kurt and Mercedes simply looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Just go and choose the clothes would you? I don't have all day!"

The pair hurried off as quickly as possible.

"Man, what's got into her?"

"Hormones Mercedes. And this is only the beginning! Have fun dealing with five and a half months of pregnant Rachel while I'm off in New York!"

"I swear I could kill you Kurt!"

Kurt just laughed and began showing various items of clothing to Mercedes.

By the time they returned to Rachel she seemed a lot calmer and she was rubbing her bump and singing softly to it. Kurt tentatively handed the clothes to Rachel.

"Here. We think you'll like these…they're still you without being totally offensive to the fashion world! If there's any you don't like then that's fine, you don't have to try them on. We'll wait here and if you want to show us any of the outfits just let us know."

Rachel nodded and smiled.

"Thank you."

After two hours of trying on various outfits and traipsing from shop to shop, Rachel was exhausted. She looked down at the bags in her hands and couldn't believe how much money they'd spent, although they'd each paid for a third, it was still too much.

"Kurt, I think we should take some of this stuff back. Finn's gonna flip when he sees how much we've bought, and I'm not gonna be pregnant forever! I'll never wear all of this!"

"Now, now Rachel. I will not have my niece or nephew being carried around by someone living out of two outfits, no matter how amazing they are. Besides, you'll get a chance in your next pregnancy, even if you can't wear them all now."

"Whoa! Who said anything about a next pregnancy? One is quite enough thank you!"

"For now maybe. But you and I both know how horrible it is to be an only child growing up. I remember you promising me you would never only have one child because you hated being an only child."

"Yeah well I don't recall planning to have a child in this situation!"

"Oh please Rachel we all know you and Finn are going to go the distance! I'm just sad I'm not going to be here for all your pregnancy drama!"

"Kurt you can't go! What am I going to do without you?"

"Oh Rachel you'll be fine. You have Finn and Mercedes and a load of other people, you don't need me. I have a life in New York and so does Blaine; I can't just leave it all hanging. But we'll be back in September, that gives us plenty of time before the baby's born. These next few months are gonna go so quickly, you won't even notice I'm gone!"

"I'll still miss you."

"Yeah Kurt, it's been great having you around."

Kurt looked into the girls' eyes and saw they were both filled with tears.

"I'll miss you too. So, so much. But we'll talk all the time, I promise. You would've got sick of me if I'd been around for too long!"

"We could never get sick of you Kurt!"

"Aaw. I love you so much. You'll always be my two favourite divas!"

Kurt wrapped his arms around both of them and kissed them on the head as he fought the urge to cry.

"Now lets get you two home. Madame over here is asleep on her feet and I have an early plane to catch!"

The three laughed and wiped their eyes as they headed back to Mercedes' house to drop her off.

Rachel took a deep breath and looked out the window as she placed her hand over her belly protectively. Kurt was right; these next few months were definitely going to go quickly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much to everyone who took an interest in this story and left such fantastic reviews for the last chapter :D sorry this chapter is quite short but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you to people who suggested characters to incorporate into the story…I will do my best to include them :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee…still!

Finn had planned to take Rachel for a day out, but weather never had been on his side and they were forced to stay at home. Luckily, Rachel had been prepared for the occasion and by the end of 'Dreamgirls', Finn was sure he couldn't watch another musical!

"See Finn. Isn't that movie just amazing? Now can't you see how well Mercedes sang that song back in our first year of glee club?"

"Um…yeah, it was great."

Wait, Mercedes had sung one of those songs? Great, he was totally gonna have to re-watch it to make sure he knew which one it was!

"So, shall we put the next one in?"

"Actually Rach, I was kind of hoping we could just talk for a bit?"

Rachel looked slightly disappointed, but she brushed it off quickly and smiled at Finn.

"Of course. What did you want to talk about?"

"Lots of stuff, but mainly the baby. And then we can watch the next one after that, I promise."

Rachel beamed and squeezed Finn tight.

"So, what about the baby?"

"Well, for starters, your next scan is in a couple of weeks, and I was wondering whether you were planning on finding out the sex of the baby?"

"Well…I had hoped to. But if you would rather not then we can wait."

"No, no I want to too. I think it's useful to know so we know what colour to paint the nursery and all that."

"Um, Finn, I've never actually been upstairs in your house. Do you have a spare room?"

"Yes I do, and it'll work quite nicely for the nursery I'm sure."

"Can I see it?"

"Nope! You're not seeing it until it's ready for our little star!"

"But Finn, that's so unfair! You've got to let me help with the nursery!"

"You can choose colours and everything to go inside it, but you're not seeing it until it's finished, and that's final!"

Rachel folded her arms and pouted.

"You're so mean!"

"I know! But you'll thank me later!"

"Pfft, not if I leave you to decorate it on your own! Kurt is so helping you!"

"Oh fine then!"

Finn stuck his tongue out at Rachel and she did the same back before they both burst out laughing at their immaturity!

"So Mr. Hudson! Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Well…um…yeah, kinda…no, don't worry about it."

"Hey, Finn, what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything right?"

Finn nodded and took a deep breath before making eye contact with Rachel.

"Well, it's just…are you scared?"

Rachel smiled at Finn as she placed a hand over her bump.

"Terrified! But I think it's ok to be scared…everyone's scared when they're having their first child, it's natural. And it's a good scared. The type of scared I am on opening night of my latest show, or the type of scared I felt when I knew I was coming to see you. So don't worry about it. We're gonna be just fine."

Finn smiled at this, before kissing Rachel's bump softly and heading over to the DVD machine.

"So, what's next?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **Thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter :) it makes me so happy! I hope I've done the characters justice in this chapter and that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Glee.

Rachel slowly made her way down the aisles of the supermarket after spending half an hour convincing her Dads that she was capable of doing the shopping on her own!

As she reached the cereal aisle she saw a pretty blonde girl who looked about eight reluctantly putting a box of cereal back on the shelf. She laughed at the sight, remembering when she used to pick up every item of food she wanted and always get made to put it back. As she smiled at the little girl, an all too familiar woman made her way round the corner, also laughing at the girl.

"Beth honey, you can have them next week! Stop looking at me like…"

The woman stopped mid-sentence and looked at Rachel with a shocked expression on her face. Rachel wanted to run away but instead she just stood there staring at the woman.

"Rachel…"

"Shelby…"

Shelby took Beth by the hand and walked up to Rachel, attempting to keep her composure.

"Beth honey, I want you to meet Rachel. She's your…your big sister."

Rachel looked shocked when Shelby referred to her as Beth's big sister, but the little girl didn't seem too phased by it. Instead she held out her hand to Rachel and smiled brightly.

"I know that Mommy, she's the one in the picture! Hi, I'm Beth."

Rachel just nodded and continued to stare at Beth. She looked so like Quinn, it was unbelievable, and it was obvious she had been raised by Shelby!

Shelby looked slightly embarrassed when Beth mentioned the picture, but Rachel seemed too busy studying Beth to notice. She looked Rachel up and down, taking in how much she had changed since she'd last seen her at her high school graduation all those years ago. That meeting definitely did not go to plan! As she ran her eyes over Rachel she noticed a slight bump…was Rachel pregnant? She wasn't even aware that Rachel was married and now she was pregnant!

"Look Rachel, I'd really like to talk. How about we meet up tonight for dinner, Beth's going to a friend's anyway, I know it's been a while but I feel we have a lot to catch up on."

Rachel noticed Shelby glance at her stomach as she said this and she subconsciously placed one hand across it. She wasn't sure she wanted to meet Shelby but it would be wrong to deny her an opportunity of being in her grandchild's life, so reluctantly, she nodded.

Shelby immediately smiled.

"Great. I'll meet you at Breadsticks at seven?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Ok, I'll see you later, bye Rachel."

"Bye Rachel."

Beth waved as she was pulled away by her mother.

"Bye…"

Rachel made her way to the till, confused and dreading this evening.

It took her a while to convince Finn to let her go, but now she was sitting in her car outside the restaurant, trying to pluck up the courage to go in.

Eventually she entered the restaurant and saw Shelby sitting at a table in the corner. She took a deep breath and headed over to her.

Shelby stood up as soon as she saw Rachel coming and gave her a very awkward hug.

"I'm so glad you came Rachel."

Rachel just nodded and smiled meekly.

"So, how have you been?"

"Ok thanks, you?"

"Yeah, good thanks…How far along are you Rachel?"

"What?"

"Come on Rachel, it's obvious! How far along are you?"

"Twenty weeks."

"Ooh not long until you can find out the sex, that's exciting!"

"Yeah."

"Wow, I can't believe this Rachel! I didn't even know you got married!"

This last part was said with a hint of regret and sadness in her voice, but she covered it up well.

"Oh no, I didn't. I'm not married."

"Oh right. So who's the father? Do I know him?"

"Yes. It's Finn. Finn Hudson."

"Wow, you guys stayed together all those years?"

"Um, no. We broke up at graduation. I moved to New York and he stayed in Lima."

"Oh. So how long have you guys been dating?"

"Well, we're actually not dating. Finn came out to New York to see his brother and…"

"Oh I see."

Great, now she thinks I'm some cheap tramp!

"So, you've moved back to Lima?"

"Yeah. For now."

"Are you planning on going back to New York?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe someday, when the baby's older."

Shelby nodded.

"So how's Beth doing?"

"She's great. Bubbly as ever!"

"Does she know she's adopted?"

"Yes, that's never been a secret."

"Has she met Quinn and Noah?"

"No, but she might when she's older, we're not sure just yet."

Rachel nodded. The rest of the meal was spent making small talk and trying to catch up on the things they'd missed. At the end of the evening, Shelby finally decided to approach the topic she'd been dreading.

"Listen Rachel. I know you probably still hate me, but I'd really like to try and make this work."

"I don't hate you Shelby. I could never hate you…you are my mother after all. Yes, I wish you hadn't walked away when you found me the first time, but I understand why you did. Sure, it took getting pregnant, but I understand why you were so scared now. And you gave me to the two most amazing men in the world, for that alone I am thankful! As for graduation, I really am sorry. I was moving to New York, I'd just broken up with Finn and I was scared out of my mind. I'm sorry but you were the last person I wanted to see!"

"Rachel, I don't deserve your thanks. I know running away was wrong, and adopting Beth without talking to you first was worse, and I'm not asking for your thanks or your forgiveness. I'm asking for a second chance. I'd really like to know my grandchild."

Rachel nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Of course you can have a second chance. And…I forgive you. You're gonna be a really great grandma!"

By now both Shelby and Rachel were crying as they smiled and hugged each other, ready to build a relationship every mother and daughter should have.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Firstly, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've had a really busy week. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted, it really inspires me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review if you want to. I will be putting a poll on my profile so you can vote on the name of the baby. I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to vote. Thank you :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee.

Finn had been completing some paperwork for Burt and Rachel was bored out of her mind. To top it off today was the day of her twenty-two week scan, and she was having trouble thinking of anything else. Rubbing her bump tenderly she decided she needed to get out of the house.

Finn was sitting in his study, desperately trying to finish his paperwork so he could spend some time with Rachel, to no avail. The pile he was working on seemed endless. He sighed and swivelled round in his chair as he heard a small knock at his door, and Rachel walked in.

"Hey Finn. I'm just gonna go for a little walk, I'll be back in about half an hour."

"What? No way!"

"Excuse me?"

"There's no way I'm letting you go on your own. Not while you're carrying my baby."

"Finn you have no right to tell me what I can and can't do!"

"Yes I do Rachel. If anything were to happen to you or the baby…I'd never forgive myself."

He looked down at the floor, tears in his eyes and he seemed lost in a memory. Rachel walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, before lifting his chin up so he would look at her.

"Finn, you're so sweet. But I'm only about five months along, and I'll be careful. This is a safe neighbourhood Finn; you said it yourself when we were looking at moving. I promise I won't go further than the park; I just really need to get out of the house for a bit. Ok?"

Finn nodded his head in defeat.

"Fine. But you have to have your cell switched on at all times. And you must be back in time for our appointment. I can't wait to see out little star again."

Rachel smiled and kissed Finn on the head.

"When have I ever been late?"

And with that she walked out the house, leaving Finn unable to concentrate on the work he had been doing, and praying to grilled cheesus that she would be alright!

As promised, Rachel walked in the door exactly thirty minutes later and was immediately embraced in a giant hug from Finn.

"I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Finn! You worry too much!"

"I have every reason to!"

"I can't wait to get this baby out of me so I can have a normal life again!"

"Oh please, you love me worrying about you!"

"Think what you like Mr. Hudson! Do I have time to have a shower?"

"Yeah as long as it's quick."

"Ok, I'll be right down."

Fifteen minutes later Finn and Rachel were in the car on the way to their next appointment. Rachel had one hand placed across her bump, and the other was squeezing the seat so hard Finn was pretty sure it would need replacing!

"Rach, relax. Everything's going to be fine."

"Pfft! You're one to talk!"

Finn just laughed at this and continued to drive.

When they reached the hospital Finn ran round to help Rachel out the car and they made their way inside.

They sat in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity, before a nurse walked in with a file and scanned the waiting room.

"Rachel Berry?"

Finn squeezed her hand and the pair followed the nurse into the room where Dr. Blake was sitting at her computer.

"Hi Rachel. How are you feeling today?"

"Nervous again! But other than that I'm ok."

Eva laughed and started to get her equipment ready.

"Don't be nervous. At this stage there's very little chance that anything will be wrong."

Rachel nodded and looked over at Finn, who smiled reassuringly at her.

"Now if you'd just lie down on the bed and lift up your shirt for me Rachel."

Rachel lay down and Finn sat on the chair next to her, while Eva took a seat on the other side.

"So, have you felt any kicking yet Rachel?"

Rachel's face immediately looked panic-stricken.

"No, should I have?"

"Well, you should start to feel the kicks between sixteen and twenty-two weeks, but don't worry, some women just take a little longer to notice it, especially first-time moms. You're baby may have been kicking and you may not have realised. I'm sure everything's fine."

Rachel nodded and took a deep breath.

"Anything irregular I need to note down?"

"No, I don't think so. Just the stuff that the books say is meant to happen!"

Eva laughed and nodded.

"Ok. Lets take a look at that baby then shall we?"

The expectant parents nodded and turned their heads to the small screen as Eva placed the gel on Rachel's stomach and began to move the wand around.

"Ok then. Heartbeat sounds good. And there's your baby. See how much bigger it is?"

Finn and Rachel stared at the screen in awe and tears began to run down their cheeks as they saw the little person they had created.

"And not to worry Rachel, it is moving. I'm sure you'll feel the kicks in no time."

Rachel just nodded, her eyes never leaving the small shape on the screen.

"So are we finding out the sex today?"

Only then did Rachel look up at Eva, and she nodded eagerly. Eva looked at Finn to confirm he wanted to know too, and he nodded and smiled.

"Ok. Well, it looks like you will be having a baby girl! Congratulations."

Rachel looked at Finn with a huge smile on her face, tears pouring down her cheeks, and she laughed as he wiped them away and hugged her tightly. Eva left to print off some pictures and the two continued to stare at their little girl.

"Are you happy Rach?"

"I've never been happier."

"Me too."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** Thank you for all the feedback from the last chapter, I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think. I've had a bit of writer's block so I'm not sure if this chapter is very good, but I hope you enjoy it. I may not be able to update for a few days as I'm going away, but I will make sure to update as soon as I get back. I would really appreciate it if you could vote for a name in my poll for Finchel's baby; I think it should be up and running now. If you don't like any of the names then let me know what names you like and I will consider them :) thanks again.

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Glee!

Rachel and Finn were sitting watching TV, Finn's hands wrapped around Rachel and placed on her bump. All of a sudden Rachel turned to Finn with a serious look on her face.

"We need to go shopping."

"Why? Are your cravings starting? Tell me what you need and I'll go and get it now."

"That's sweet Finn, but I meant for her. We might think we've still got ages but the truth is she'll be here before we know it and everything needs to be ready."

"But Rach I told you, I'm taking care of the nursery."

"You can decorate it Finn, but there's no way you are deciding what goes in it on your own."

"I wasn't going to. I was gonna wait for Kurt."

"Kurt's coming back two weeks before my due date, we can't leave it till then! Come on, we're going and you don't get a say in the matter."

With that she untangled herself from Finn's arms, turned off the TV and headed over to put her shoes on.

"Damn pregnancy hormones!"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing Rach, absolutely nothing!"

They arrived at the nearest baby store half an hour later, and while Rachel jumped out the car, eager to get going, Finn just sat there staring. It was so huge! How could a baby possibly need so much stuff?

"Come on Finn, get out of the car!"

He nodded, took a deep breath and they made their way into the store.

"Right, so um…what do we need first?"

"Well, a crib is always a good place to start. It shouldn't take long, I've been looking at them online and I know which one I want." 

"So why didn't you just order it online?"

"Delivery is so expensive Finn. We're not rolling in money!"

With that she headed over to the cribs, with Finn following close behind.

"Here it is!"

Rachel showed Finn a gorgeous white crib with pink butterflies lining the sides. He bent over to look at the side and gasped when he read the price.

"It's beautiful Rach, but like you just said, we're not rolling in money. I'm sorry but we really can't afford this."

Rachel's eyes filled with tears as she looked pleadingly between Finn and the crib.

"But Finn, we're bringing our little star into the world, into a family that isn't really a family at all. The least we can do is give her a nice crib!"

"Rach, I really want to get it too, but she's not even gonna remember what crib she slept in! Besides, it's just not practical. What if somewhere down the line we want to have another baby, and it's a boy. Are you gonna put him in this crib?"

"We could sell this one. We have plenty of friends who haven't had kids yet. Please Finn."

He had tried his hardest. He wanted to be the responsible father, who was able to say no, but he couldn't say no to her. Not when she was looking at him like that.

"Fine, but you're gonna have to compromise. If we buy this crib, you have to listen to me when I say I don't want you going out and about by yourself, and you have to go to those birthing classes we talked about."

Rachel started jumping up and down as best she could with a five-month baby bump, and hugged Finn so he could barely breathe.

"Yes, yes, yes. I promise, I promise! Thank you Finn, thank you so much!"

He laughed and kissed her on the head, before placing the crib in their trolley.

"So, what's next?"

After an hour and a half of traipsing round the store, picking up everything they could possibly need for their baby and more, they were both absolutely exhausted.

They only had a couple of things left to get and both Finn and Rachel were desperate to go home.

"Ooh Finn look, aren't those clothes adorable!"

"Yes Rach, but we're not getting any. We've already spent more than we should have today and people will give us loads of clothes as gifts, we don't need to buy any. Especially not at these prices."

Rachel pouted and folded her arms. She was about to lecture Finn about how they needed to provide clothes for their baby, but she suddenly drew in a sharp breath and her hands flew to her stomach.

"What is it? Rachel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I…I think she kicked."

Rachel pulled Finn's hands to her belly and both expectant parents smiled as they felt their daughter kick for the first time.

"Wow." Finn breathed.

"I know. It feels really weird!"

Finn laughed and hugged Rachel.

"Right, I'm gonna go and pay for this stuff, go and wait by the exit ok?"

Rachel nodded and walked off, hands still placed on her bump, and smiling slightly every time she felt the little kicks.

It was once Finn was sure that Rachel was out of sight that he headed back towards the clothes. He browsed them for a few minutes, finding it impossible to choose. He eventually decided on a pink babygro with a gold star on the front. It was plain and simple, but it was perfect.

With that he went and paid for everything, making sure the babygro was hidden from sight and he and Rachel walked out the store hand in hand. They weren't sure what that meant for them, but in that moment they were content just to be something more than they had been.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the feedback from my last chapter, it was really nice :) I'm really not sure about this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. If there are any story lines you'd like me to include, please just say and I will try my best. I would really appreciate it if you would vote on my poll for the name of Finchel's baby or let me know any other names you'd like me to consider. I would really appreciate you're feedback and any constructive criticism :)

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Glee!

So maybe Rachel broke her promise, but it wouldn't be the first time. After all, she had promised herself that she would never fall back into the arms of Finn Hudson, and look how that turned out! Finn was working today and so she had planned on spending the day with her Dads, until they announced that they were going on a last minute vacation and would be back next weekend! She'd considered going to see Mercedes, but she wasn't sure she could face five hours of constant talk about babies and weddings! As for Quinn and Puck, she wasn't at the stage where she could be alone with them yet; they'd never been her best friends. So, she decided to risk it and go for a walk in the park, although she knew if Finn found out she'd be dead, and he'd probably take the crib back!

As she made her way past the playground, she saw a very familiar looking couple heading towards her with a little girl in the middle holding their hands.

"Mr. Schue?"

The man looked up and smiled brightly when he saw Rachel.

"Rachel, hi!"

He walked up to her and embraced her in a giant hug.

"Wow, it's been too long! You look great!"

"Thank you, what are you doing here? I thought you lived in Columbus?"

"Yeah we're just here for a little holiday. But what about you? What happened to New York?"

Rachel simply pointed at her belly before placing her hand over it gently.

"Wow, congratulations! Who's the father?"

"It's Finn actually." 

"That's great! But I thought you guys broke up at graduation?"

"Lets just say it wasn't exactly planned!"

Mr. Schue nodded and laughed.

"Well I'm really happy for you guys." 

"Thank you."

Rachel turned her head to the woman stood behind Mr. Schue.

"Miss Pillsbury, hi! Or should I say Mrs. Schuester?"

Miss Pillsbury laughed and embraced Rachel.

"Well I go by either! But we're not your teachers anymore Rachel, it's Will and Emma."

Rachel nodded.

"Wow, that's gonna take some getting used to! And who's this lovely lady?"

Rachel smiled at the little ginger girl hiding her face in Emma's side.

"This is our daughter Maia. Maia, this is Rachel Berry, the one from Daddy's first glee club?"

Maia nodded and looked at Rachel, but continued to hold on to Emma.

"Sorry, she's a little shy!"

Rachel laughed.

"Well I'm really happy for you guys. Listen, I really have to run, but would you like to come round for dinner tonight? I know Finn would love to see you, and you can bring Maia along too."

Will looked at Emma and she nodded at him.

"Thanks Rachel that would be really great. What time?"

"Around seven?"

"Great, we'll see you then." 

"Bye."

At five past seven the doorbell rang, as Rachel was busy in the kitchen.

"Finn, can you get that please?"

"Sure Rachel."

Finn opened the door and immediately hugged his old teacher who had been like a father to him.

"Hey Mr. Schue."

"Please Finn, it's Will."

"Nope, you'll always be Mr. Schue!"

Mr. Schue laughed and patted Finn on the back before making his way into the house.

Finn kissed Emma on the cheek before inviting her in. He bent down in front of the little girl clinging on to Emma.

"Hey, you must be Maia. I'm Finn; I was in your Daddy's glee club with Rachel. I have met you before, but you were a tiny baby so you won't remember me! Rachel's got some of her old Barbies for when our baby's born, would you like to play with them?"

Maia nodded eagerly and took Finn's hand as he led her to the living room and placed the Barbies in front of her.

"Now these are very precious, so you have to be careful ok?"

Maia nodded and carefully pulled out the first Barbie and began brushing its hair.

Finn stood up and headed over to Will and Emma.

"Thanks Finn, that'll keep her entertained for hours!"

"No problem. Can I get you guys a drink?"

"Yes please, I'll have a glass of red if you've got?" 

"Sure, Emma?"

"Just a water for now thanks Finn."

"Of course, I'll be right back. Make yourselves comfortable."

Finn headed into the kitchen and began making the drinks.

"Maia's playing with your Barbies, you don't mind do you?"

"Of course not."

"What do you want to drink?"

"Just a water please."

Finn nodded and filled up a glass of water for Rachel.

"Right, I better go say hi."

Rachel carried the nibbles through to the living room with Finn following close behind.

She embraced her old teachers again before sitting down.

"Thank you for coming." 

"Thanks, for having us. The house is looking really nice Finn, it was a bit of a mess last time we saw it!"

Finn laughed as he sat down next to Rachel.

"Well I was a bit of a mess last time you saw me!"

Will and Emma laughed and nodded while Rachel looked at Finn with a confused expression on her face, which he chose to ignore.

"So judging by the Barbie dolls can I assume you're having a girl?"

"Yes we are."

"How exciting! How far along are you?"

"Thirty weeks."

"Ooh only three months left!"

Rachel nodded, but she looked rather scared.

"Don't worry Rachel, it seems really scary at first but you'll be just fine, I promise."

Rachel nodded but she didn't look convinced.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to just check on the dinner."

With that she quickly left the room and Finn looked ready to follow her when Emma stopped him.

"No, let me."

Emma entered the kitchen to find Rachel crying whilst getting the dinner out of the oven. She walked up to her and hugged her tight.

"Oh Rachel. Why are you crying?"

"I'm just really scared."

"About what exactly?"

"Giving birth, being a mom."

"Well, those are scary things, and every first time mom is afraid. Believe me, I was. Have you been to any birthing classes?"

"Not yet, but we were planning to."

"Yes, I suggest you do, they make the whole experience a lot easier and give you more confidence when the time comes. Are you planning on having an epidural?"

"No. I really want to do it without one, I want the full experience."

"Ok, so it will hurt, and there's nothing you can do about that except prepare yourself for the pain."

"How?" 

"Just don't be in denial, admit to yourself that it will hurt but think about what you're going to get at the end of it. It'll be worth it. And as for being a good mom, I have no doubt that you will be Rachel. Everybody's scared that they won't know what to do and they'll do everything wrong, but it comes naturally, I promise."

Rachel hugged Emma again.

"Thank you Emma, thank you so much."

"No problem honey."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted this chapter, it makes me so happy :) If anyone has any ideas for this story please let me know because I don't have a plan, I just write ideas as they come to me, so I'd be happy to include any of your ideas. Please vote on the poll for the name of Finchel's baby, I would really appreciate it :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Glee.

Rachel was home alone again, lately it seemed that she always was! Finn was working hard to try and earn some extra money before the baby was born. Her Dads were getting home tomorrow and she was looking forward to spending some time with them.

She lay on her bed reading one of her many pregnancy books when the doorbell rang. Confused she sat up and managed to climb out of bed, which had become a bit of an effort since she reached seven months! It's not that her bump was big, but Rachel was a very small person and any bump made it difficult!

She wasn't expecting any visitors and the last person she expected to see when she opened the door was Quinn with Jackson.

"Hi Rachel. Mind if I come in?"

"No of course not."

Rachel moved out the way and followed Quinn into the living room.

"Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine thank you."

Rachel nodded and slowly sat down next to Quinn, both women sat and watched as Jackson sat on the carpet playing with his toy giraffe.

"He really is very handsome."

Quinn smiled and nodded.

"I think so. Look Rachel, I came over here to apologise."

"What for?" 

"For the way I treated you in high school. It was wrong and you didn't deserve it, you were nothing but kind to me."

"It's ok Quinn, high school was a long time ago."

"No, it's not ok. When I was pregnant you offered your support, you tried to be my friend and I just pushed you away. Then when I was back on top I continued to torture you, and it wasn't fair. The only reason I did it was because I was jealous." 

"You were jealous? Of me?"

Quinn nodded and looked at the ground sadly.

"Not at first. But after I had Beth I was. All I wanted was to be loved. I'd given my daughter away and she was going to love Shelby and never even know I existed. Puck and I had a go at being a couple over the summer, but it didn't work. At that time, he couldn't change. He was angry that we'd given Beth away and I think I was a constant reminder of her. So we ended things before they really began. I came back to school and you and Finn were all over each other. It wasn't that I wanted Finn; it was just that I wanted what you two had. You were so in love and no one had ever loved me like that. I told myself I needed to be single, and I did. But I needed love so much that I jumped into the arms of the first guy who came knocking. Then I hurt him. I made a lot of bad choices in high school Rachel, and I hurt a lot of people, but I hope you can understand why I did it. And I hope you can forgive me."

"Quinn, I forgave you the minute we graduated. I'm not one to hold grudges, so as soon as we graduated I decided that I would forgive everyone who had wronged me and hope that they could forgive me too. The truth is I wasn't exactly an angel in high school. I've got a lot to be sorry for too."

"So…I was really hoping we could be friends?"

Rachel smiled.

"I'd really like that."

The two hugged and Quinn cried against Rachel's shoulder. Rachel pulled back and looked Quinn in the eye.

"Hey, why are you crying? I know high school was hard, but look at your life now Quinn. You have Noah and you have a gorgeous little boy."

Quinn nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Puck and Jackson with all my heart, but despite everything that happened in high school, there's only one thing I would go back and change if I could."

"And that is?"

"Giving up Beth."

"Oh Quinn. I know it's horrible now, you're a great mom, and you can't understand why you gave her up right?"

Quinn nodded and wiped her eyes.

"But Quinn, you did what was best for her. Think back to that scared vulnerable sixteen year old girl, could you really have handled a baby?"

"I know you're right Rachel, I just wish I could be a part of her life. I don't even know if she's ok."

"Well I can tell you that she is. And Shelby is a brilliant mom."

Quinn looked up suddenly at this.

"You've seen her?"

"Yeah. I ran into Shelby a few months ago and we agreed to try having a relationship again. Beth was with her. I've spoken to Shelby over the phone but I haven't seen them since then. I'm actually babysitting Beth tomorrow night."

"Does Beth know she's adopted?"

"Yes, but Shelby hasn't spoken to her about you. But she said she might when she's older. Look Quinn, if you really want to meet her, let me talk to Shelby tomorrow. I'm sure you can work something out."

"Thank you so much Rachel."

Rachel nodded and hugged Quinn.

"I also came here to ask you, do you have a Moses basket yet?"

"A Moses basket?"

"You know, the basket you put the baby in at the beginning so you can move it around. You can't put it into a cot straight away Rachel."

"I…I hadn't even thought about it. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a terrible mom!"

Rachel put her head in her hands and Quinn laughed as she rubbed her back soothingly.

"Don't be silly Rachel, just because you forgot about a Moses basket doesn't mean you're going to be a terrible mom! Every mother forgets to buy something before the baby's born. We brought Jackson home from the hospital to find out we didn't have any diapers!"

Rachel laughed.

"Right. Well I should probably go get a Moses basket! Wanna join me?"

"Actually the reason I asked is because I have one you can use. Don't worry; it's for a girl! I bought it when I thought I was going to be keeping Beth because I fell in love with it. I couldn't bring myself to throw it out, and it's never been used yet. Do you want it?"

"That would be great Quinn, thank you."

"No problem. It's in the car, could you watch Jackson while I go get it?"

"Of course."

Quinn kissed Jackson on the head before going outside to retrieve the Moses basket. When she walked back in Rachel was sitting on the floor and Jackson was sitting in front of her with his hands on Rachel's bump, giggling when he felt the small kicks. Quinn stood in the doorway smiling at the sight, until Rachel looked up and noticed her.

"She won't stop kicking! It's getting kind of uncomfortable."

Quinn laughed and walked over to help Rachel up.

"It's in the hallway."

Rachel walked into the hallway and Quinn followed carrying Jackson. Rachel gasped and brought her hands to her mouth when she saw the Moses basket in the hallway. It was beautiful. It was a simple basket with a white cover, with pink frills along the edges. There was a white blanket with 'Star' embroidered in pink in the corner laying inside it and it had a white frilly canopy over where the baby's head would lie.

Rachel ran her fingers lightly over the word 'Star', tracing the letters, before she turned to look at Quinn with tears in her eyes.

"The blanket is a gift from me."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Rachel ran over to Quinn and embraced her as best she could with both her bump and Jackson in the middle.

"It's not much, but it'll do the job."

"I absolutely love it."


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update, I just haven't really had any ideas and I wanted to make sure it was good. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted after the last chapter, it makes writing so much easier. If you get a chance please vote on the poll for the name of Finchel's baby, I really want to know what you guys think. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Glee. Nor do I own 'Faithfully', all credit for that goes to Journey.

Rachel had been sat on the sofa all day moaning about the heat and her ever-growing bump. She was now eight months pregnant, constantly uncomfortable, and desperate to meet her child. Finn hated how every day he had to sit and watch her feeling miserable and he couldn't do anything about it.

However, today was different. Today he could do something, even if that something was nothing more than leaving the house! All he knew was that he had played a part in organising something that was sure to make Rachel happy, and that thought alone brought a smile to his face.

"Rachel, I'm gonna pop out for a bit, but I'll be back soon. Be safe."

"Oh fine Finn, you run off and do everything you need to do while I'm stuck on this sofa carrying your spawn!"

"It's not for much longer now Rach. Maybe you should try some of those yoga exercises Quinn told you about, it might help you feel better."

"You have no idea what would make me feel better Finn Hudson so don't even pretend to! Now off you go!"

Finn nodded and walked over to Rachel, kissing her bump softly.

"Call me if you need anything."

With that he was out the door and Rachel was left to entertain herself once again, which, with a belly the size of Mount Everest, is not the easiest thing to do!

She rubbed her bump slowly.

"Well, looks like it's just me and you again Star."

Rachel was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the door open, or notice that someone was standing in the doorway of her living room smiling at her.

"Rachel Berry you look like a slob!"

Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin as she looked up to see the owner of the familiar voice. She stood up as quickly as she could and ran over to him, embracing him in the tightest hug she could manage with her bump in between them!

"Kurt! What are you doing here? I thought your flight was next week?"

"It was but something came up so we changed it." 

"What came up?"

"Ah now that would be telling! But seriously Rachel, I did not take you on that shopping trip so you could mope around in sweats all day!"

"Well look at me Kurt, I'm massive! Nothing else fits!"

"Nonsense! While I do agree that you have grown dramatically since I last saw you, I made sure to accommodate for all stages of pregnancy, including the ones where you look like you're going to pop at any moment!"

"Well I'm not exactly doing anything."

"And that my friend, is where you're wrong! I haven't seen you in like five months or something, and I need to know all the details about my niece! So I'm taking you out for a catch up lunch!"

"No Kurt I'm tired! Can't we do it tomorrow?"

"No, so either go and get changed or you can listen to me rant about how inspiring Marc Jacobs new collection is for two hours! You're choice!"

Rachel simply muttered under her breath and went to find something to wear. As soon as Kurt saw that she was gone, he ran to the door and beckoned the people waiting outside to come in. Each person was carrying food or decorations and they all busily began setting up, knowing Rachel could come downstairs at any moment.

When everything was ready everybody hid, in the normal clichéd way! All of Rachel's closest female friends were there (Kurt was counted as an honorary female!) Shelby was ducked down holding onto Beth's hand, while Quinn was across the room looking longingly at them. Mercedes and Kurt were with Carole and Karen had even come especially from New York. Rachel's other friends from both Lima and New York filled up the room as they waited anxiously for Rachel to come downstairs.

They began to hear footsteps and then Rachel shouting at Kurt!

"Kurt this dress looks awful on me, I can't believe you convinced me to buy it!"

Rachel turned the corner into the living room and everyone jumped up yelling "Surprise!"

Rachel's hand flew to her chest, as she looked overwhelmed by the number of people in Finn's living room. After scanning the room for a few moments, she made eye contact with Kurt.

"Kurt, what is this?"

"It's a surprise baby shower! And what are you talking about, that dress looks stunning."

Everyone nodded their agreement as Rachel smiled shyly. She was wearing a simple white dress, which flowed over her baby bump elegantly. She had white pumps on her feet with a floral design on them, and her hair was curled with a white headband in it. Like Kurt said, she looked stunning.

"Wow, I don't know what to say! Thank you!"

Everyone laughed and began chatting amongst themselves as Rachel moved around to greet people.

Suddenly she ran over to Kurt with a worried expression on her face.

"What about Finn? He's gonna walk in!"

"Relax, Finn helped me organise this whole thing! He's gone for a 'boy's day out' with Puck, Jackson, Sam and Blaine."

Rachel smiled and hugged Kurt, kissing him on the cheek before continuing to talk to her guests. Just when she'd finished talking to Carole, someone came up and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around quickly and immediately beamed.

"Karen, hi!"

The two friends hugged before Karen placed her hands on Rachel's stomach.

"Gosh, look how big you've gotten!" 

Rachel laughed and placed her hands on her bump.

"I know it's crazy! Thanks for coming Karen, it means so much to me."

"Oh sweetie, I would never pass up an opportunity to see my favourite client!"

Rachel laughed and hugged Karen again.

"I've missed you."

"I know honey, I've missed you too."

As the pair pulled apart and smiled at each other, Rachel noticed Quinn sitting in the corner looking lost.

"Excuse me for a minute."

Karen nodded and Rachel made her way over to Quinn.

"Hey, the party's in this direction!"

Quinn smiled up at Rachel and stood up to hug her.

"What's up?"

"Oh nothing. It's just hard to watch them together. See them bonding like that."

"But I thought Shelby agreed to let you see her?"

"She did, but we haven't found a time yet. It turns out Beth has a very packed summer holiday!"

"Now why does that not surprise me?"

The girls laughed as they watched the eight year old talking animatedly to Mercedes about her dance lessons.

"It'll work out Quinn. I'm sure it will."

Quinn nodded.

"You're right. What am I doing? This is your party, I shall no longer mope around! Come on, time for presents!"

Everyone gathered round as Rachel opened the numerous gifts she had received. She was given everything she could ever need and more, she definitely wasn't as worried about not having enough stuff anymore!

The shower went on until about six, when, after many ridiculous games that Kurt had invented, everyone decided it was time to go. Finn came in the house just as everyone was leaving, and he stood with Rachel and together they personally thanked everyone for the presents, and said their goodbyes.

When Kurt finally left after sticking around to help clear up, and have a talk with Finn about the nursery, it was eight thirty. Rachel was on her laptop in the kitchen and Finn had just finished moving all the presents into the nursery that Rachel wasn't allowed to enter.

Tired and aching Finn sat down on the floor of the living room, his back resting on the sofa. Rachel walked into the living room and carefully got herself sitting between Finn's legs, her back resting against his chest, and his hands placed protectively over her bump.

"I suppose we should get you home then."

"What?"

"Home, back to your Dads' house." 

"Oh right. Yeah. But…can we do something first?"

"Sure. What do you wanna do?"

"I was wondering if we could watch the videos of us performing at our show choir competitions back in high school. My Dad put all the recordings on one disc, and I brought it here this morning planning to watch it but obviously I never got round to it."

"But Rach you do realise that would mean getting up right? And I'm so comfy!"

Rachel laughed and attempted to smack Finn, which didn't really work seeing as she was facing away from him!

"I already put the disc in this morning, you just have to press play!"

Finn groaned but smiled and began the DVD. At first they just watched but as soon as 'Faithfully' began they knew they had to sing. They both sang their parts with the same emotion they had in high school, and their voices still fit together perfectly. Their baby kicked the whole way through their performance, seemingly enjoying it!

"I think our little star likes us singing hey Rach?"

Finn became concerned when Rachel didn't answer.

"Rach?"

Finn positioned himself so he could see her face and realised she had fallen asleep. He smiled but made no attempt to move her. Instead he continued to hold her and their child in his arms as he watched the rest of their performances. When 'Pretending' was playing Finn begun to tear up, looking down at Rachel and realising they were being just as stupid as they had been then, pretending there was nothing between them. Finn bent his head down and kissed Rachel softly on the head, before whispering:

"I will always be there for you and our little star Rach, you mean so much to me."

Rachel's only reaction was to murmur softly and smile, remaining in a deep sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the feedback from the last chapter. I don't think there will be many more chapters after this and I will try to update as regularly as I can as I am going on holiday next week and I want to get it finished before I go so I don't leave you guys waiting for ages :) You guys who have read this fic are all amazing, thank you so much :D I would really appreciate if you would vote on the poll on my profile for the name of the baby. Thanks again :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything Glee related.

Finn sat in his study trying his best to avoid Rachel! It was now only two weeks until her due date and she was constantly grumpy and irritable! This morning she had had a go at him because he brought her favourite drink back when he went shopping. Apparently he wasn't doing it to be nice, he was doing it to try and score points off her, he wasn't even sure he knew what that meant!

He sighed as the door opened and span around in his chair to face her.

"Well since you have obviously decided to ignore both me and your unborn child, I'm going out!"

"Rach, I'm not trying to ignore you, I'm just giving you some space. I have a tonne of work that needs to be done!"

"Oh I get it, I don't have a job so you have to rub it in my face that you do! Carrying this thing is enough of a job if you ask me!"

"No that's not what I was doing. I just can't be with you 24/7 if you want enough money to give our baby the best possible opportunities!"

"Well sorry that I'm not bringing in a second income. I'll get a job if you want, and our baby can grow up not knowing her mom because I'm working all the time!"

"You know that's not what I want Rach. I'm not trying to have a go at you, I just really need to get this work done."

"Right well I'll leave you to it."

Rachel stormed out the room and Finn rubbed the top of his head before following after her.

"Where are you going?"

"Mercedes'"

"No way."

"Give it a rest Finn, you can't control me."

"You know you can't drive when you're this far along and it's too far to walk. Come on, I'll drop you off."

"No, I mustn't distract you from you work!"

"Rachel stop being silly and come and get in the car."

"Oh so I'm being silly am I? You're the one who won't let me do anything for myself!"

"I'm trying to look out for my daughter!"

"You care so much that you lock yourself in your study all day!"

"Trying to earn money so she can have a good life Rachel, we've been over this. What do you want me to do? Spend all day talking to your belly? You don't talk to her all the time, and she's inside you! I've tried to be nice and do things for you, and I get it thrown back in my face! I don't know what you want Rachel?"

"I want to get this thing out of me! Do you know how uncomfortable I am? Being pregnant sucks!"

"It's only two more weeks Rach, it'll go so quickly."

"But with nothing to do the days go so slowly!"

"Enjoy being able to relax, when she's here there won't be much time for that."

"Hey Finn, you know what would make me feel better?"

"What?"

"Seeing the nursery. It kills seeing you and Kurt going in there, I want to see what it looks like. What if it's not right for our baby?"

"Rach I can assure you it's perfect for our baby."

"But I wanna see it!"

"No, it'll be a nice surprise for when she comes."

"Why won't you let me do anything I want to do?"

"Because Kurt and I have worked really hard on making this perfect and if you see it now it'll just ruin it."

"But that's not fair Finn!"

"Oh you know what fine then! Go look at the nursery, go walk to Mercedes' house, do what you like, I don't care! Just leave me alone!"

With that Finn stormed out of the living room and slammed the door to his study. Rachel remained standing in the living room with her hands on her bump and tears in her eyes.

She rubbed soothing circles on her bump and whispered:

"It's alright sweetie, it's just a little fight, everything will be fine."

Finn sat in his study with his head in his hands. He knew he shouldn't have lashed out at Rachel like that; she was just having a rough time. He just couldn't stand her getting so cross with him when all he tried to do was look out for her and do nice things for her. Who would of thought one baby could make someone so hormonal!

After fifteen minutes Finn decided he should go and apologise, the stress of arguing couldn't be good for the baby. Expecting to see Rachel sitting in a typical diva pose, Finn walked into the living room.

Instead he found Rachel sitting on the sofa staring into space, crying. He immediately became overcome with guilt and ran over to Rachel bending down in front of her.

"Rach I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean any of it." 

Rachel shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"No I'm sorry. You were just trying to be nice and I acted awfully."

"Hey it's not your fault. I understand that you're feeling overwhelmed and as long as you're keeping my baby safe I don't mind what you do."

"I'll always keep her safe."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

Finn wiped away her tears and kissed her on the forehead and the belly. Rachel laughed lightly when his lips came into contact with her belly.

"These hormones are making me crazy!"

Finn laughed as well before suddenly blurting out:

"Move in with me."

"What?"

"Move in with me. You were going to anyway, we're just bringing it forward a couple of weeks."

"Finn, I'm not sure."

"It makes more sense this way. It's impractical you moving from place to place all the time and with the baby we're not gonna have time to move all your stuff around."

"I guess you do have point."

"So is that a yes?"

Rachel sat thinking for a few moments thinking before she smiled and nodded, jumping into Finn's waiting arms.

"So which room do I get?"

"The one in between mine and the nursery. I'm trusting you not to sneak into the nursery when I'm not looking!"

"I promise. So can we go and start getting my stuff?"

"Ok then, I suppose work can wait!"

Rachel hugged Finn again before taking his hand and leading him eagerly out the door.

Finn couldn't believe it. Rachel was about to move in with him, and in just two weeks they'd have a baby. He couldn't wait.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **first of all to clear up any confusion, Rachel has been living with her dads but she spends most days at Finn's because of the pregnancy. Obviously she hasn't been there every day as Finn's had work and stuff but I've mostly focused on days when they are together. They're no together yet, although it's quite clear they love each other, but you won't have long to wait I promise :) I'm really sorry if any of you received this chapter as a massive paragraph, it was me failing with technology! Thank you for all the support for this story, I really appreciate it. I will be closing the poll for the name of the baby either tomorrow or on Monday depending on when I can get the next chapter written so if you're planning on voting please do it soon :) Only two more chapters after this one! Thanks again, you guys are amazing!

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Glee!

Rachel woke up to a sudden pain in her stomach. Passing it off as kicking she made her way downstairs and went into the kitchen where Finn was making breakfast.

"Morning sleepy head! Isn't this a bit late for you?"

Rachel just groaned and put her head in her hands.

"You ok?"

"Yeah just didn't sleep very well last night."

"Ok well you can always go back to bed if you want?"

"No I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep now."

"Ok. I made you some eggs if that helps!"

Rachel groaned again.

"I hate eating eggs!"

Finn laughed as he placed the food in front of Rachel.

"I know you do, but you refuse to eat meat and eggs are really good for our little star."

Rachel nodded as she placed her hands over her bump.

"You're right."

Finn sat down opposite her and began tucking in.

"Well come on then, eat up!"

Rachel laughed and then began to eat. Suddenly she dropped her fork and clutched her stomach as she grimaced in pain. Finn immediately ran to her side and knelt down beside her.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, she just kicked really hard!"

Finn looked unsure but he kissed her belly and then patted it saying: 

"Be nice to your mommy!"

Rachel laughed as she continued to eat. When she was done she slowly stood up.

"I'm going to get dressed. What are your plans for today?"

"Well I have a shift at the tyre shop at one but it's only for an hour."

"Ok, any chance you could drop me off at Quinn's on the way? I really need to talk to her about something." 

"Sure. Let me get a few things sorted and then we'll go."

Rachel nodded and then headed up to her room. She groaned in pain as she realised that this definitely wasn't kicking. She immediately got out one of her pregnancy books and turned to the labour section. Her face paled as she read through the stages of labour. Forcing herself to stay calm she took a deep breath and put on her comfiest outfit. She then pulled out her bag she had packed for the hospital a few days ago and made sure everything was in it. Leaving it on her bed she made her way downstairs where she found Finn waiting for her. He smiled as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, lets go."

The drive to Quinn's house was unusually awkward as Rachel tried her best to keep a straight face when the pain hit her. Finn glanced at her concerned, but didn't say anything.

Finn pulled into Quinn's drive and turned to look at Rachel.

"Want me to come in with you?"

Rachel shook her head and smiled at Finn.

"No I'll be fine."

She turned to leave but Finn grabbed her arm before she could.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes Finn, I'm fine. And yes I've got my cell with me! I'll see you later."

"Ok, I'll pick you up after work."

Rachel walked up and rang the bell, rolling her eyes as she realised Finn wouldn't leave until she stepped in the door. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice when the door opened.

"Um Rachel? Hi!"

"Oh hi Quinn! Sorry I was miles away!"

Quinn laughed as she ushered Rachel inside.

Finn sighed as he watched Rachel enter the house. Something was definitely up with her. He may not be the smartest guy around but he was definitely observant, and he didn't miss the way she flinched every so often, no matter how hard she tried to cover it up. But he couldn't sit around playing Mr. Detective now; he had to get to work.

Quinn placed a glass of water in front of Rachel who was sitting on the couch staring blankly at Jackson playing on the floor.

"So do what do I owe this visit Miss Berry?"

Rachel looked up at Quinn with fear in her eyes.

"Is Noah here?"

"No he's at work. Why? Is something wrong?"

Rachel nodded as she placed a hand on her bump protectively.

"I think I'm in labour."

Quinn looked shocked as she ran over to comfort a crying Rachel.

"Ssh it's gonna be ok. Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm scared Quinn! I'm not ready for this…I'm not even due yet."

"Well when are you due?"

Rachel shrugged.

"In a couple of days. But I thought first time pregnancies were meant to be late?"

"Not always. They often are but it's different for everybody. I was early with Beth. You're little star just wanted to come out and say hello! Now has your water broken yet?"

"No but I've been having contractions."

"Since when?"

"This morning. They started when I woke up."

"How far apart are they?"

"Twenty minutes maybe."

"Ok well there's no point going to the hospital until you water breaks, for all we know it could be a false labour. So for now you're just going to have to sit here and let me take care of you."

"Thanks Quinn, you're the best."

"Don't mention it. But I do have one question, if you're in labour, why did you come to my house?"

"Because I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't tell Finn, he would have freaked out!"

Quinn laughed.

"Very true!"

"Plus I figured since you've had two kids and one of them was very recently you would know what you're talking about!"

Quinn patted Rachel on the back.

"Lets hope so!"

They both laughed and Quinn went to put a DVD on. Halfway through the DVD Quinn was getting worried. She'd been hoping it was a false labour and the contractions would die down, but they were only getting stronger. Rachel was having them every ten minutes now and Quinn was sure her water would break soon.

"What time is Finn coming to pick you up?"

"I'm not sure. He said he'd come when he finishes work, what time is it now?"

"Five past two."

"He should be here soon then. Oh god!"

Rachel clutched her stomach as another contraction came and Quinn rubbed her back supportively. When it was over Rachel stood up.

"I'm going to go for a walk round the garden. It might make me a little less uncomfortable."

"Ok, do you want me to come with you?"

"No it's fine. I don't want you to have to move Jackson, and I'll only be gone for five minutes."

Quinn nodded and Rachel walked outside.

Two minutes later the door opened and Rachel stood in the doorway looking terrified. Quinn immediately stood up and went over to her.

"Rach? What's up?"

"My water just broke."

"What? Are you sure?"

Rachel nodded as she placed her hands on her bump, trying to keep calm.

"Ok well we need to get you to the hospital. Do you have your bag?"

Rachel started to cry lightly.

"No, I left it at home."

"Ok well don't worry, I'll call Finn and let him know what's gong on and we can get him to bring it ok?"

Rachel nodded and began to walk towards the car as Quinn placed Jackson in his car seat.

Once they were in the car Quinn plugged in her phone and called Finn.

"Hey Quinn. I'm on my way but there's really bad traffic!"

"Finn you need to come to the hospital."

"What? Why? Is Rachel ok? Is there something wrong with the baby?"

"Finn relax. Rachel's in labour!"

"What? Oh my god! I'm coming as fast as I can."

Suddenly Rachel spoke into the phone.

"Finn I need you to get my bag, it's on my bed."

"Rachel! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Finn, but I really need my bag!"

"Right ok. I'll go get it now."

"Thanks Finn, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, I'll be as quick as I can. Be strong Rach, you're doing really well." 

"Ok bye Finn."

"Quinn look after her."

"I will Finn."

"And don't let her have the baby until I get there. I don't care what happens, hold it in there if you have to!"

Both girls laughed.

"Ok Finn. See you soon."

"Yeah bye."

Quinn hung up and then looked over at Rachel.

"You ok?"

Rachel smiled and then looked at Quinn.

"Yeah, lets go have a baby!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **Finally the chapter we've all been waiting for, including me! I hope it lives up to expectations, and I've never had a baby so sorry if I got some facts about labour wrong and stuff. Thank you for all the support from the last chapter and every other chapter I've written, I never thought it would have over a hundred reviews and I'm so grateful :) Thank you to everyone who voted on the poll for her name, it is now closed and her name will be revealed in the next chapter, which will be the last one :( I will be posting the next chapter later on today as I go on holiday tomorrow and so can't update after that. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy it :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Glee

After four hours Rachel was only four centimetres dilated, it was looking like it was going to be a long night. After much convincing Quinn had managed to persuade Rachel's family and friends that there really wasn't any point in them coming down yet, and Rachel was in no mood for visitors!

The contractions were coming every three minutes now and lasting for twenty seconds, meaning Rachel was exhausted before it had even begun!

After holding her hand through another contraction Finn gently leaned over and kissed her head.

"You're doing really well Rach. I'm gonna go get a soda, is there anything you need?"

"To get this baby out of me!"

Finn laughed and kissed her head again.

"It won't be too much longer now Rach. I'll be right back."

Rachel nodded and attempted to move herself in her bed as Finn left the room.

Finn walked into the waiting room and smiled at Quinn as he went over to the vending machine. Quinn immediately jumped up and ran over to him.

"How is she?"

"Tired and uncomfortable. She can't sleep because the contractions are coming every three minutes and she's exhausted. She didn't sleep well last night either. I'm really worried she's not gonna be able to push when the time comes to actually deliver the baby."

"Well how much longer do you reckon she has?"

"She's only four centimetres and she was two when we came in, that means it's only increased by two centimetres in the last four hours. It could be a while."

Quinn nodded.

"Why doesn't she have an epidural? It's not too late."

"You know Rachel, she's about as stubborn as a mule! There's no way she'll even consider an epidural."

"You could try asking her. People often change their minds when their tired and in pain."

"I've tried! She won't do it and the more I ask the more irritable she becomes! Anyway I better get back. Like I said Quinn, it could be a while, why don't you go home and get some rest?"

"Finn I'm not leaving her."

"But you're not even with her and she won't let anyone else in the room. You do realise Puck's probably forgotten he took Jackson home with him and thinks he's still here with you."

"That's a good point! Ok Finn I'll go, but you call me the minute anything happens ok?"

"I promise."

Quinn nodded and hugged Finn before walking out the hospital. Finn took a deep breath before heading back into Rachel's room. Rachel lay on the bed looking like she could fall asleep at any minute.

"Hey. How you doing?"

"I'm so tired Finn."

"I know you are Rach, but it won't be too much longer, and think about what we're gonna get at the end of it."

Rachel nodded and then leaned forward as another contraction came. Finn held her hand and rubbed her back until it passed. Suddenly their doctor Eva walked through the door.

"Hi Rachel."

Rachel simply gave a small smile in response.

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon. Now I need to talk to you about your birthing plan because we need to start preparing if you want anything fancy!"

"My birthing plan is to get this baby out of me!"

Eva and Finn both laughed and Finn rubbed Rachel's stomach.

"So will you just be having an ordinary birth Rachel?"

Rachel nodded, closing her eyes.

"And do you want an epidural?"

"No, I want to do this as naturally as I can."

"Ok. And how are the contractions?"

Finn spoke up this time.

"Three minutes apart, lasting twenty seconds."

"Oh Rachel that's not fun! Well let's have a look at how far along you are then."

The doctor measured and said that Rachel was five centimetres, halfway there.

Once they were alone again Rachel turned to Finn.

"I'm scared Finn."

"About what?"

"The birth. Contractions are painful enough and then I've got to push a baby out of me. What if it takes after you in height? There's only so much I can take!" 

"Ssh Rach, it's gonna be ok. You're strong; you know you can do this. And you can always have an epidural if you need one."

"I know, but I don't want one." 

"Well then you're gonna have to be your amazing self and get that baby out of you despite the pain!"

Rachel smiled and nodded, convinced that she could do this.

Nine hours later and Rachel had been in labour for fourteen hours. She was beyond exhausted and Finn was seriously worried that the delivery would be a problem, but Eva assured him that if she couldn't do it they would just give her a caesarean. It would have been a lot more reassuring if Finn actually knew what that meant! He didn't want to seem stupid so he nodded along and thanked the doctor instead.

Eva was in the middle of checking how far Rachel was dilated and Finn was holding her hand whispering soothing words in her ear. However, he was interrupted when Eva suddenly stood up and started to speak.

"Rachel, you're ten centimetres. It's time to go into delivery."

Finn was shocked yet excited but Rachel just looked terrified!

"I…what? No it can't be time, I…I'm not ready."

"Rachel you've been ready since you went into labour, you've been desperate to meet your daughter. Now it's time. Come on, after this it'll all be over and you'll have your very own little baby.

Rachel didn't look convinced but she nodded and let Eva help her into the bed that would take her to the delivery room.

Before Rachel knew what was happening she was lying in the delivery room and everyone was set up and ready to go. Finn stood next to her, holding her hand and smiling at her.

"Ok Rachel, you're going to feel like you want to push but I need you to only push when I tell you to ok? We need to make sure the baby's in the right position."

Rachel nodded and took a deep breath.

"Ok, when you feel the next contraction I need you to push as hard as you can."

Rachel pushed with all her might and then flopped back down on the bed. Finn wiped some hair off her face.

"You're doing really well Rach, keep going."

"Well done Rachel that was good. Now I need you to do that again, one, two, three, push!"

Rachel pushed again but it wasn't as hard as the last one and she lay back on the bed crying.

"Oh my god this hurts! I hate you so much Finn Hudson!"

Finn leant down and kissed Rachel's head.

"I know Rach, but come on, you can do this."

Rachel shook her head.

"No I can't, it hurts too much."

"Yes you can."

Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out the star necklace he gave to Rachel on Valentine's Day of their Junior year. He put it round her neck and then kissed her forehead.

"I believe in you."

"Come on Rachel I really need you to push."

Rachel took a deep breath and squeezed Finn's hand with one hand and the necklace with the other. She lent forward and pushed harder than before.

"Yes, brilliant Rachel, she's crowning. Now on the next contraction push again, just like that."

Rachel nodded and pushed again when she felt the next contraction.

"Well done Rachel, just one more push for me."

Rachel pushed again and then collapsed back on the bed as crying filled the room. Finn kissed her head and rubbed her hand.

"Well done Rach, I'm so proud of you. You were amazing."

Rachel looked up into his eyes and rubbed the necklace. She whispered:

"Thank you."

Finn just nodded and kissed her hand.

Eva walked over carrying a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Well done Rachel, you did better than most women. And here is your daughter."

She placed the bundle in Rachel's arms and tears started to fall down both Finn and Rachel's cheeks. Rachel rocked the little baby gently in her arms, talking to her softly. Finn sat staring at the two most important people in his life. Rachel was so good with their baby; it's like she just knew what to do. He was in awe of her. Before he could stop himself he suddenly blurted out:

"I love you."

Rachel looked up at him shocked. She stared at his face for a few moments, trying to figure out if he regretted what he'd said. But he just smiled at her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She smiled back.

"I…I love you too."

Finn smiled and leant over and caught Rachel's lips in a soft and romantic kiss.

"This is it hey? You and me?"

Rachel nodded and looked down at the bundle in her arms before looking back up at Finn.

"You, me and our little star."

Finn reached forward and smiled as their daughter wrapped her tiny fingers around his massive finger, he laughed gently at the contrast.

Finn leant over and softly kissed his daughter's head.

She was their little star, born at 2:08am on Sunday 13th October. She had Rachel's hair and Finn's eyes and nose. She was tiny like Rachel, smaller than most babies but heavier than Rachel had been. She was perfect.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: **I can't believe this story is over; it's a really weird feeling! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted this fic, it really helped me to write it and has inspired me to write more in the future. Everyone who has shown me support throughout this fic I love you all and thank you so much! I don't really know what I'll write next but do you guys think I should write a sequel to this or just leave it and do something new? If you want me to write a sequel would you rather I start from where this left off or do it a few years in the future when the baby's a bit older? If you think I should do something new please let me know if you have any ideas because I have none! Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

**Disclaimer: **At the end of this fic…I still don't own Glee!

Finn sat staring at his beautiful girlfriend as she slept. He was so proud of her, she'd been so strong and thanks to her he now had the most beautiful daughter in the world. Suddenly Rachel's eyes blinked open and she turned her head to look at Finn.

"Morning sleepy head."

Finn moved to her bedside and kissed her, Rachel hummed lightly and smiled.

"Morning. Where is she?"

"They put her in the nursery so you could sleep. She's so perfect Rachel. Thank you so much."

"I believe I didn't do this on my own Mr. Hudson!"

Finn laughed and kissed her again. They both looked towards the door as a nurse came in holding their daughter. Rachel immediately reached for her.

"Someone's eager! How are you feeling today Miss Berry?"

"Tired and sore but I've never been better!"

The nurse laughed.

"So you ready to try breast feeding?"

Rachel nodded and smiled nervously.

"Don't worry. It may hurt a little bit at first but you'll get used to it." 

Finn watched as the nurse helped Rachel and before he knew it their little girl was feeding.

The nurse left and Finn pulled his chair up to sit next to Rachel's bed.

"Wow." 

"What does it feel like?"

"Weird. Really weird!"

Finn laughed and kissed Rachel again before stroking his daughter's head. The nurse knocked on their door again and poked her head in.

"You have some visitors. Is it ok if I send them in?"

Rachel and Finn both nodded and then returned to watching their daughter.

The door opened and in walked Carole, Burt, Hiram and Leroy. They immediately rushed over to see their granddaughter.

Carole gasped as she began crying.

"Look at her, she's so beautiful."

Rachel and Finn just smiled and Rachel passed her daughter over to Finn so her grandparents could get a better look.

"I'm surprised they let all four of you in here."

"Oh there's more to come!"

Rachel laughed as she watched everyone fussing over her daughter. Suddenly the door burst open again and in walked Kurt, Blaine, Sam and Mercedes.

Mercedes ran over and hugged Rachel while Kurt headed straight for the baby in Hiram's arms and Sam and Blaine stood awkwardly at the back unsure of what to do.

As the door opened again Beth came in holding Quinn and Puck's hands and pulling them along behind her.

"Come on Aunt Quinn! Why are you being so slow?"

Quinn laughed as Beth ran over to see her niece and Quinn walked to Rachel's bedside.

"Shelby let you see her?"

"Yeah. For now I'm just Aunt Quinn but that's more than I ever dreamed of."

Rachel smiled and hugged Quinn.

"She's adorable Rachel. The perfect mix of you and Finn."

Rachel nodded and looked over at her daughter again as Shelby entered the room.

After several minutes of fussing over both Rachel and the baby everyone had finally calmed down.

Carole looked over at Rachel and asked:

"So does she have a name?"

Rachel smiled and looked at Finn, who nodded for her to tell them.

"It's Olivia."

Kurt nodded and smiled.

"Olivia Berry, I like it."

"No, it's Hudson. Olivia Alyson Hudson."

Carole began to cry again and everyone started talking to Olivia as Finn turned to talk to Rachel with tears in his eyes.

"Are you sure Rach?"

"Yes, I want her to be a Hudson."

Finn lent down and kissed Rachel passionately as everyone stared but didn't say a word.

"Can we talk to Quinn, Mercedes and Kurt alone please."

Olivia was passed back to Rachel as everyone started saying their goodbyes and shuffled out of the room. When it was just the six of them left in the room Rachel spoke.

"We'd really like it if you three would be her godparents. We know you'll always look out for her."

The three agreed and hugged Rachel, before saying their tearful goodbyes, as Olivia seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the people.

Finn smiled down at Rachel and Olivia. This was his little family now.

Two days later Finn and Rachel brought Olivia into their home for the first time. Olivia had fallen asleep in the car and so Rachel gently laid her in the Moses basket Quinn had given them and turned on the baby monitor.

"So Finn. Now that she's home…can I see the nursery?"

Finn laughed and took Rachel's hand as he led her to the nursery.

Rachel gasped as she stepped inside. It was beautiful. It was painted in the pale shade of pink she had picked out when she went shopping with Finn and the crib she had begged Finn to buy was positioned along the right hand side. A pink mobile with butterflies on it hung above the crib. The word Star had been placed in wooden letters along the wall above the crib and gold stars were painted around the room. A chair sat in the left hand corner ready for when Rachel had to come and feed her in the night and there was a white wardrobe and dresser also in the room. The wardrobe was filled with outfits people had given Olivia at Rachel's baby shower and a changing station was set up on top of the dresser. On the windowsill was a picture frame with three pictures in, one of Finn, one of Rachel and one of Olivia. Engraved at the top of the frame were the words 'our little star'.

Rachel stood frozen in the doorway with tears streaming down her face.

"Finn, it's perfect."

"Go look in the crib."

Rachel walked over to the crib and lying inside it was a small pink babygro with a gold star on the front. She pulled it out and then looked over at Finn.

"Who's this from?"

"Me. I bought it when we went to the store that first time."

Rachel smiled and ran over to Finn and attacked him with a kiss, which displayed all her emotions.

"I love you so much Finn Hudson."

"I love you too Rachel. More than you'll ever know."

Their second kiss was interrupted by the sound of crying from the baby monitor in Rachel's hand. The couple laughed and walked downstairs hand in hand to check on their daughter. Rachel picked her up and rocked her gently, before sitting down and feeding her. Finn watched amazed at how Rachel just naturally knew what to do. Rachel was murmuring gently to their daughter.

"Ssh Livvy, it's ok."

Rachel looked up at Finn and caught his eye as he walked over and kissed her.

Smiling she looked down at their little star and said jokily

"This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Finn laughed and kissed her again before saying:

"I know. But don't you think it was kind of inevitable?"


End file.
